


Pieced Together

by mishaminion69, sydkn3e



Series: A Broken World [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: All the sex stuff really, Alpha Castiel, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Blood and Violence, Breastfeeding, Breeding, Cas has a pregnancy kink, Depiction of birth, Grumpy Mom Dean, Horny Dean, Knotting, Light Spanking, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Miscommunication is the Real Villain Here, Mpreg, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Omega Dean, Past Rape/Non-con, Recreational Drug Use, Rimming, Sex Trafficking (Omega Ring), The Chase, shifting, two idiots in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-08-06 19:53:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 165,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16394063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mishaminion69/pseuds/mishaminion69, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sydkn3e/pseuds/sydkn3e
Summary: Dean's equally exciting and terrifying news are forced to take a backseat for Castiel as he struggles to find the Omega ring for which his Omega's abuser was recruiting. While Cas is away, Dean grows closer to Eileen- also expecting her first pup- and her Alpha mate, Sam, which gives him insight into his foggy past and a glimpse into his future.The increasing time apart proves difficult for both Dean and Castiel, leading way to feelings of inadequacy for Dean and discomfort in his rapidly changing body. Meanwhile, Cas fears that spending so much time in his wolf form while searching for the imprisoned Omegas will drain away his humanity...and ultimately lose him his mate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Finally! Your awaited sequel to "A Broken World". We hope it's everything you were hoping it would be. Much like the first part, this sequel is also pretty angsty (but also pretty darn fluffy/smutty) and is highly emotionally driven. We are aware that there may be aspects that will be a little squicky to some (the pregnancy thing isn't for everyone) so we will post additional warnings for particular chapters in the notes. So if you're one of those squicked by pregnancy stuff (breastfeeding, birth, etc)- MAKE SURE TO READ EACH CHAPTER'S NOTES!
> 
> As always, we are available on Tumblr if you want to come squee at us (or yell at us). Sydney @holytrenchcoatedsubtextchuck and Lauren @deanmon69. We love questions about our work or just talking about ourselves in general- just no hate, please. You know the difference between "You've hurt me ahhhh how could you do this to me!!!!!" or "I noticed this didn't quite make sense..." and "Your work sucks you should never write ever again". Please be kind.
> 
> Also- gonna say this in advance and reiterate closer til time. We're not doctors. We've never been pregnant or given birth. So we gloss over much of that, but please cut us some slack if some things are not EXACTLY right. If it's something really glaring then yes, please let us know and we can fix it. But if it's something like "It would be too early for this", just chalk it up to the fact that Dean's having a true Alpha's baby and perhaps things are progressing a little quicker. 
> 
> And lastly, if you notice something that should be tagged that we missed, PLEASE do reach out so we can remedy that. And as always, thank you all for reading!

It’s funny how people tend to spend so much time on what falls apart, they don’t stop to think of what it may be like when everything finally comes together. Sometimes that can be even scarier than the former.

Dean laid on his back on the familiar futon in Alpha’s cabin- no, _their_ cabin- and looked out the window, at the sun streaming through the trees in ribbons and the morning dew slicking the outside of the window. He traced his fingers down his stomach, smiling when he felt the slightest bulge that wasn’t there just mere days ago. Cas had been so busy trying to track down the Alpha camp that Michael had come from that he hadn’t had the chance to show him yet, and he’d gotten in so late the night before that Dean was already asleep.

Dean looked over at their bed, where Cas laid sprawled across the sheets, hair wild from where he pressed his head into the pillow. He was shirtless and even from where Dean laid he could see the scar below his sternum, still welted and red, in the limited sunlight that shone down on the bed at this time of the morning. Dean had left the bed a few hours earlier, partly because he was finding it so difficult to sleep already for the slightly irrational fear of rolling over and smothering his baby, and partly because sleeping next to Cas is like sleeping next to a goddamned space heater, as if Dean wasn’t already practically radiating heat on his own.

The positive thing about pregnancy, Dean supposed, was no heats. It turned out to be a blessing, because right about the time that Dean told Cas about the pregnancy, Aurora officially presented: as Alpha.

The good thing about that was that despite her presentation as Alpha, they had years before she’d begin to have any sexual urges at all, and years after that before she’d officially go into her first rut. But now she could actually scent them, smell exactly what they’re up to, and that made for some awkward encounters in general, but it would be exponentially worse after Dean had the baby and resumed his heats.

And Cas...poor Cas. He’d come home almost two months ago to a camp buzzing with news he’d yet to hear, and a pup who didn’t fully understand any of what was going on- and all that _after_ an unsuccessful trip to try to find the hidden Omega ring. But while Cas had been the strong one then, it was Dean now who was constantly working to put his Alpha at ease.

Dean had been freaked when he found out. Honestly, full-blown panic mode, _freaked._ But he talked to Missouri and he talked to Garth, and by the time Cas returned he was able to tell him about the life growing inside him with a smile. His “rainbow baby”, as Missouri had called it. He was done being weak, he was done being scared. He decided he was going to be happy and strong from here on out, because he had no reason _not_ to be. Of course, he was still seeing Garth regularly and working through past trauma, but he had Cas, and he had Rory, and now they had a pup to look forward to, and he was determined to be positive and strong for all of them.

Cas murmured something in his sleep and turned over to his side, throwing an arm over to where Dean would normally be sleeping, and patting the empty space blindly. He lifted his head quickly and looked around, eyes finally settling on the futon across the room, and he pushed himself up slightly.

“Everything okay?” he asked groggily, and Dean smiled and nodded, gesturing him over.

“C’mere. Wanna show you something.”

Cas sniffed and slid out of bed, giving Dean a glimpse of his perfect ass as he slid on a pair of loose pants and padded over to him. Dean pulled up his shirt and trailed the tip of a finger down the slight bump, looking up at Cas and smiling.

“You see it?”

Cas quirked a smile and got down on his knees by the futon, lowering himself to eye level with Dean’s belly and dragging the tip of his own finger over it.

“Yeah,” he said in awe, laying his palm over the swell. He huffed a laugh, rubbing his thumb gently across his skin. “Wow…”

Dean laid a hand over Cas’s, watching them both rise as he breathed. “Pretty incredible, huh?” he whispered, mostly to himself. Castiel flipped his hand over and covered Dean’s, squeezing as he pressed a kiss to the little bump.

“Yes,” Cas murmured, blue eyes twinkling. “Yes, it is.”

He moved up Dean’s body carefully, hovering over him, and leaned down to nuzzle against Dean’s cheek. He chuffed quietly, scenting Dean, taking in the scent of rain with that subtle- so subtle he sometimes misses it completely- sweetening underneath. Soft, like honey. Warm. The scent of an Omega in the early stages of pregnancy. Something he’d never thought he’d smell on his beautiful mate.

Dean looped his arms around Cas’s neck, scenting back, taking comfort in his Alpha’s strength and protection. Cas always smelled safe, albeit a little wild, something akin to dangerous, but never towards Dean. The kind of dangerous that made Dean almost- _almost_ \- feel sorry for their enemies.  

“How does it feel?” Castiel’s voice rumbled by his ear.

Dean shifted underneath him, ghosting his fingers up Cas’s arm. He liked feeling the muscles, the strength. “Strange,” he sighed. “But...familiar. Feel like...sometimes, there’s a flutter...like it’s already moving. But it’s too soon.”

Cas lowered his forehead to Dean’s, then lifted up to look down between them, humming lowly. “Fascinating…”

Dean huffed, shaking his head. “You see pregnancy all the time ‘round here, Cas.”

“Yes,” Cas admitted, gently moving to the end of the futon and draping Dean’s legs over his lap. “But those Omegas are not my mates.” He slid a hand up Dean’s thigh and around his hip, finally letting it come to rest on his stomach again. “Being able to watch you, see every miniscule change your body makes with my own eyes...that’s pretty fascinating. Incredibly so, actually.”

Cas let his hand rest on Dean’s stomach as his other gently rubbed up and down his leg. He hadn’t wanted to leave Dean at all since he found out about the pup, but unfortunately with the timing of how everything happened, he was forced to be gone a lot while he tried to fulfil his pack Alpha duties. He and Benny were gone sometimes several times a week looking for the Omega ring, with no luck so far. Dean knew it was killing Cas not to be able to find them, to help them, even more so than he let on. And though Cas did a good job of hiding it, Dean knew he was feeling insecure about the fact that he was being duped by someone, that he hadn’t been able to sense it coming.

Cas was still his friggin’ superhero, whether he saw it or not.

Dean smiled, his hand joining Cas’s on his bump. “Will it still be fascinating when I’m so big I can’t see my own feet?”

“Yes,” Cas answered immediately.

“When I’m crying over spilled milk? Literally.”

Cas smiled. “Yes. Fascinating and adorable.”

“What about when-”

“All of it, Omega,” Cas said, catching Dean’s eyes and holding the gaze. “I happen to like it, knowing my seed is growing, that you’re carrying our pup...I like it very much.”

Dean swallowed and lowered his gaze. Cas had a weird, archaic way of saying things sometimes and Dean was still getting used to it. The truth was, Dean wasn’t so sure he was ready for all the changes coming. He never got this far in his last pregnancy, but he knew how much the body morphed to accommodate a pup. Especially for a male Omega. It was going to be even harder for him.

Cas was there, though. Dean didn’t feel so afraid knowing his Alpha would be there through the whole thing. Not to mention Cas probably knew just everything there was to know about pregnancy.  

“Do you, um,” Dean fidgets with Cas’s fingers, looking down at their hands still folded over his belly. “Do you remember what it was like, when Bella was pregnant with Rory?”

“Vividly,” Cas answered bluntly.

Dean mentally kicked himself, not intending to remind Cas of his last mate’s fate by asking the question. He squeezed Cas hand, looking at him apologetically.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“No, no,” Cas waved his free hand, “Dean, it’s fine. I remember all of it, yes. She had a very...normal, healthy pregnancy. She was the very picture of good health. Rory grew...very quickly. She was quite big for a newborn pup, I recall. She was very active, in the womb.” He looked down at Dean’s belly and smiled, eyes crinkling in the corners. “There were certain ways that Bella could lay where I swear I could practically see the outline of Rory. Of course, then, we didn’t know for sure if Rory was male or female. We had our assumptions, but-” he shrugged his shoulders, then huffed a laugh. “Bella was probably six months pregnant or so, and she would sometimes tell me how Rory was positioned. You know, point to a spot on her belly, ‘their butt’s here’, or ‘their foot’s pushing right here’, and I could feel them too. Rory used to like to kick back at me, if I pressed against her foot or something.”

Dean smiled and pushed gently on his belly, imagining what it might feel like to have something kick from inside. Fucking weird, for one, but also amazing. Something he’d never thought he would experience.

“Does it...um,” Dean licked his lips and slid his fingers up Cas’s wrists. “Does it scare you? Me being pregnant.”

“I’m terrified,” Cas said calmly, grabbing those wandering fingers. “I think any decent Alpha would be. Nothing about what you’re going to do is easy. And after Bella…” he shrugged, pressing his lips together. “I would be a fool not to be a little afraid.”

Cas let his head fall back against the back of the futon, rubbing a hand over his own chest as he looked up at the ceiling. Dean watched him silently for a few moments, finally lacing their fingers together and giving them a squeeze.

“It’s all gonna be okay.”

Cas turned his head to look at him, licking his lips and swallowing. “You sound very confident.”

“I am.” Dean smiled and squeezed his hand again. “I just feel it. We’re gonna be fine.”

A slow smile pulled at Cas’s lips. “Oh? You feel anything else?”

Dean tilted his head to the side and looked down at his stomach, pulling his hand away to run his fingers over the little bump he’s quickly becoming obsessed with, then laying the hand there. “It’s a boy.”

Cas furrowed his brow and turned in his seat, throwing an arm over the back of the futon. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Dean nodded, glancing back up at Cas. “Dunno how I know, but I just do.” He tilted his head again and bit his lip. “We’ll have to think of boy names.”

Cas groaned and his head fell back. “I’m horrible at picking names. Bella picked Rory’s. She hated all the names I suggested.”

Dean chuckled and nudged Cas with a toe. “What names did you pick?”

“Good ones,” Cas said defensively.

“Mmm,” Dean hummed, “ _your_ name is kinda weird. _Castiel_.”

“You never complained about it before,” Cas pointed out. “In fact, there are times when you really seem to enjoy saying it-”

Dean laughed and pushed him hard with his foot, causing Cas to grab his ankle and pull himself back up, hovering over him again in predatory fashion. He crawled up to Dean’s stomach and pressed a kiss there, then continued up, laving his tongue over Dean’s mating scar.

Dean’s breath hitched in his throat and he exposed his neck, giving Cas better access to scent him and press kisses from his scar to his jaw.

“Lookin’ to put another pup in me so soon?” Dean whispered roughly, already arching into Cas’s touch, his legs falling open of their own accord to accommodate him.

“An impossibility,” Cas said matter-of-factly, nosing at his jaw. “Common misconception. Although, with a true Alpha, I suppose one can never be too sure…”

Dean would’ve been worried if he hadn’t heard the smile in Cas’s voice, and he huffed in relief.

“If anyone is a true Alpha, it’s you,” Dean murmured, partly because he liked to stroke Cas’s ego and partly because it’s the truth. Cas was different from any other Alphas Dean has ever met. Not only in his personality and temperament (which can go from soft to hard in seconds), but also in the fact that he’s the only one that can shift. Dean still has not heard the full story behind Cas’s part, what and who he really is, but they’d both been preoccupied with more important matters. Dean knew his Alpha would tell him eventually.

“Oh?” Cas purred, running a canine over Dean’s neck. “What makes you say that?”

Dean smirked and nosed at Cas’s jaw. “Lots of things.”

“Such as?”

“Your kindness, for one,” Dean sighed, the smell of fire and ocean surrounding him. “Your strength. Your loyalty.”

“Hm,” Cas licked his way down Dean’s neck and collar bone.

“...your power,” Dean purred. “Your fierceness. How just your presence demands respect and submission, even if you don’t want it or ask for it.” He bit his lip, blushing, and skirted his fingers along the edge of Cas’s pants. “This big knot you fill me up with.”

He felt Cas smile against his skin, but all too soon he's pulling away, pushing some hair off Dean's forehead and tracing fingers down his cheek.

“You look tired. Did you get any sleep last night?”

Dean let out a harsh breath and canted his hips upward, groaning impatiently. “Don't change the subject.”

Cas huffed and leaned down to kiss him once more before carefully moving back to the end of the futon, opening his arms in invitation. Dean slid to his end of the futon and laid again with his head in Cas's lap, closing his eyes as Cas ran his fingers through his hair.

“We have a sleeping pup in the next room,” Cas reminded him gently, and _shit_ , she'd been so quiet Dean had actually almost forgotten she was there. Not that Rory wanted to be anywhere but with Dean lately anyway, the idea of her presentation keeping her on edge, even while not _fully_ understanding exactly what it meant. Not to mention the pregnancy; they'd tried to keep it from her just a little longer, but her keen sense of smell now had made it impossible, and she'd become strangely protective despite being maybe 45 pounds wet.

“I have to meet with Benny this morning,” Cas continued, “regroup, plan for our next outing. I'm going to take her to Charlie, and I want you to try to get some rest.”

Dean inwardly sighed. He hated it when Cas was gone, but it was part of being the Alpha’s mate. Cas had a huge responsibility in running the pack, and it wasn’t by any means small. He had a lot of lives that depended on him, and many more if they ever found the Omega ring camp. And Dean, despite how lonely it got without Cas here, very much wanted the camp found. If Michael had been there, he can only imagine what those Omegas are going through.

Apart from the loneliness, though, was the responsibility. As the Alpha’s Omega, Dean held some authority now. Not that he used it much, if ever, but when Cas and Benny were gone, Dean was- “officially”- the one who called the shots. He relied heavily on Charlie and Bobby’s advice, however, as he knew very little about running a pack. Cas said eventually Dean would fall into it; that given the chance, Dean could take on a leadership role very well. Dean didn’t believe any of that, but supposed he’d have to learn how. He didn’t want Cas worrying about things while he was gone, and he certainly didn’t want Cas thinking Dean couldn’t handle being his mate.

“Gettin’ plenty of rest, Cas,” Dean muttered. “I’m a not an invalid yet. It’ll be months before I can’t work anymore. Missouri says I should keep active, keep my body strong. She says when Omegas lay up in bed all day, their bodies can get weak and it puts the pup at risk.”

“And you.”

“I’m fine.”

“You tossed and turned all night,” Cas argued, his free hand sliding down to rub gently over the small swell of Dean’s belly again, fingertips tracing the scars the adorned his waist. Cas had always insisted his scars were beautiful- because ‘they’re a part of him’, as he’d said- and now Cas seemed equally as drawn to Dean’s rapidly changing body. It wouldn’t be long before Dean would be huge, and stretch marks would likely litter whatever space wasn’t already occupied by scars, and his chest would swell and his ankles and he’d be utterly miserable, and Cas would probably still insist he was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

Dean shrugged. “I got a few hours.”

Cas sighed and halted his ministrations, letting his hand lay softly over Dean’s stomach. “I’m not asking you to lay in bed all day, Omega. I just want you to keep yourself healthy. You can try and sugar-coat all you want how little rest you’ve been getting, but these don’t lie.” He poked gently at one of the bags under Dean’s eye, raising an eyebrow. “They’re starting to get worse than mine.”

“Are not,” Dean grumbled, rubbing at his eyes. Cas just looked at him and Dean sighed. “Just...dunno. Can’t get comfortable. Too hot. Don’t wanna squish the pup-”

“You’re not going to squish the pup,” Cas said patiently. “Believe it or not, there’s plenty of padding between that fetus and the mattress.”

Dean blinked. “Are you calling me fat?”

Cas bit back a smile. “Not fat. Just...healthy. Finally.”

“Well it’s still too hot,” Dean said stubbornly.

“Do you want me to sleep on the futon?”

“No!” Dean said quickly, eyes widening. “Maybe, um...crack the window open at night.”

“What happens when it’s summer?”

Dean groaned and rubbed at his face. “Then I melt.”

“Doubtful.”

Dean huffed and pointedly looked away. Of course, Cas more than understood why Dean was so paranoid about this pregnancy, and he’d been doing everything in his power to help him feel more at ease. And similarly, Dean understood that Cas had his own issues about it, though he was a lot less vocal and probably didn’t talk about it as much as he should. He knew that Cas was still going to see Garth, like he’d always done, and in fact, Dean did notice that he’d been going with more regularity since he’d told him about the pregnancy. But when it came to talking to Dean about it, Cas was a very formal, all-facts mate, because his main concern had always been- and will continue to be- Dean. It worried Dean that he seemed to keep a lot of his own fears at bay just for his sake.

Although...their fears were very different. Dean was worried about losing the life inside him. Cas was worried about losing Dean.

He can’t imagine dying. He used to; used to think of it as almost a sweet release that he’d welcome when the time came, but that felt like a long time ago. Before he came to Eden. Before Rory, before Cas. But now he felt...healthy, strong, cared for. He was confident that he wasn’t going anywhere.  

That confidence surely did little for Cas, though. Dean was sure Ysabella hadn’t planned on dying either, when she fell pregnant with Rory. But unfortunately, there was little Dean could do to dissuade Cas from the idea that his second mate may not make it either. The amount of personal fault he probably felt for Ysabella’s death, and now the possibility that the same thing could happen to Dean...it was no wonder that Cas tried to keep all that to himself.

“Fine. I’ll rest a little.”

“Good boy.”

Dean rolled his eyes, although he’d never admit that he really loved when Cas praised him that way, and Cas did it a lot. He picked mindlessly at the hair on Cas’s arm, chewing his lip.

“How long will you be gone?”

“Only a few hours, tops,” Cas promised, gently brushing fingers through his hair again. “And we won’t make another move until the beginning of the week. I told Benny I needed some time with you two- ah, three.” He flexed his hand over Dean’s belly.

Dean smiled and wrapped his fingers around Cas’s wrist, squeezing gently. He stared down at his belly, at the smallest of bumps, and thought not for the first time that he could hardly believe how radically his life has changed. Less than a year ago he was a half-starved, sick, homeless Omega. Now he had a pack, a home, a family, a _mate_. He’d never felt so safe than how he does in Cas’s arms. So well protected and loved. It was miracle he’d found Eden and sometime he still expected to wake up from this wonderful dream.

“Rory will like that,” Dean kissed Cas’s arm. “She’s been missing you. She won’t say that, but I can tell. Try to keep her mind off it, but…” he shrugged helplessly. Rory was too smart for her own good. While she didn’t fully understand why her dad kept having to leave, she knew it was important. That knowledge didn’t make things any easier, though.

“Yes,” Cas sighed, eyes downturned, looking like his usual tired self. “I don’t want to leave for too long, but if we are to ever find this camp…” Cas bit his lip. “I’m afraid I’ll eventually have to take longer trips so we can cover real ground. We may even have to get help from Sam’s pack. He’s certainly offered it.”

Then there was the issue of Sam. Sam, who smelled familiar. Sam, who smelled like family.

There’d been so much going on with them personally that Dean hadn’t really had the time to broach the subject with him. And now when he visited the compound, it was for brief periods of time, and only to visit with Eileen, his pregnant mate.

But then, how does one broach the subject of maybe possibly being related to someone you’ve never met before? Would it even change anything? Cas, thankfully, hadn’t pushed it too much, but he was more than supportive of Dean finding out. He thought it would be good for Dean, to have family, to give him the sense of blood family he never got...especially with someone as good as Sam. The whiffs of Sam’s scent that Dean got when he walked the compound was nice. He smelled strongly of what Dean remembered of his mother, for whom Dean only had positive thoughts of- that is, up until she let his father convince her to abandon him. As an Omega, though, it’s not like she had much of a choice in the matter. Or at least, that’s what Dean tells himself, because the thought of his mother willingly giving him up was too painful to consider.

“Right. Yeah,” Dean said hoarsely, lacing their fingers together and bringing Cas’s hand to his lips.

Cas sighed and brushed his thumb across Dean’s cheek, smiling softly when he leaned into the touch. “We’re gonna find it. I won’t stop until we do.”

“I know, Cas,” Dean murmured, nuzzling his palm. “Don’t doubt it for a second. You’ll save them just like you saved me.”

Cas shook his head. “You saved yourself, Dean. I still have no idea how you found us, how you managed to survive out there...but you got yourself here and you made the choice to live. No one can do that but yourself.”

Dean huffed and looked away. Cas never took any credit for Dean’s recovery and survival, even though he had a huge part to play. Sometimes Cas’s humility was frustrating.

“I think Rory wants to spend some time with Missouri tonight,” Dean said, effectively changing the subject. It was stupid to argue about something positive, anyway. Dean looked up at Cas, who raised a brow, not fully catching on yet.

“Oh? Well, as long as it’s okay with Missouri…”

“Won’t be for long, I don’t think,” Dean continued, rubbing a hand absently over his middle. “Maybe...thirty, forty-five minutes? It’s been awhile, so I can’t imagine it’d last long…”

Cas’s face puzzled and he tilted his head, opening his mouth to speak, then deadpanned and glared down at him. “That smart mouth’s gonna get you in trouble.”

“You love my smart mouth.”

“So you’re pawning off my kid-”

“ _Our_ kid.”

“-so that I’ll make love to you tonight?” Cas scoffed. “You do realize it’s only been a few days, right?”

Dean groaned and sat up, throwing a leg over Cas’s lap and his arms around his neck, nosing teasingly at his jaw. “Don’t you miss me?”

Cas let out a breath and then his hands are in Dean’s hair, tugging gently. “Of course I miss you.”

“And it’s been almost a week,” Dean said, glancing down at Cas through his eyelashes. Castiel frowned thoughtfully, grazing his teeth over his bottom lip.

“No, it…” he paused, frown deepening. “Really?”

Dean nodded and glided the tips of his fingers over Cas’s neck, grazing the mating bite. “I’m going to choose not to take that as an insult and just assume you’ve been so busy you didn’t notice.”

Cas licked his lips. “I-“

“So then we’re agreed.” Dean smiled. “Rory can hang with Missouri and you’re going to knot me.”

Cas swallowed and nodded, lips parted slightly, looking up at Dean in wonder and maybe even a little bit of fear. Well, maybe fear was a strong word, but he was definitely wary of newly impregnated Dean.

“I would love to,” he said finally, sliding down to grip the back of Dean’s neck and squeeze. “But for the record, I _have_ been busy, and I’m sorry. I haven’t been here as much as I should, especially not now-”

Dean cut him off when he sealed their lips together in a filthy kiss, slotting their tongues together and thrusting his half-hard cock against Cas’s stomach. Cas groaned into his mouth, just getting into the kiss when Dean pulled away a little breathlessly.

“I know, Alpha,” Dean purred as he dipped down to nuzzle Cas’s neck, thoroughly scenting him and getting smug satisfaction from the heavy scent of arousal oozing from his pores. Cas was completely gone on him and couldn’t hide it, and Dean loved using that fact to his advantage. “I’m just selfish. I understand what you do, and I love that you do it, but I can’t help wanting you here, with me.” He shifted over the hardness in Cas’s lap, hiding a smirk when Cas hissed through his teeth. He feigned innocence, partly because it was fun and partly because he knew Cas enjoyed it.

“That’s a big bed to have all to myself,” Dean continued slowly, leaning back and tracing his thumbs down the sides of Cas’s neck. “I get so lonely. Feel so empty…”

Cas swallowed hard again and licked his lips, his hands falling to Dean’s hips. His breath stuttered, and for a brief moment Dean thought he actually might throw him down on the futon and take him right there. But no, Cas wouldn’t risk that in his state, and definitely not with their six-year-old just in the other room.

“Dean,” Cas said roughly, desperately, his hands flexing over Dean’s hips.

“Mmmm,” Dean hummed, one of his hands dipping in between their bodies to tease Cas’s chest. “Yes, Alpha?”

Castiel growled lowly and Dean shuddered. He wasn’t sure what had come over him lately. The heats were gone, yes, but in their place the pregnancy was apparently starting to make his hormones “fluctuate”, as Missouri put it. One minute he could be perfectly fine, then the next he’s slicking all over himself. Or so angry he could scream. Or so upset he bursts into tears. It wasn’t too bad, yet, but Missouri warned him it would only get worse.

Too bad for Cas.

“You're making it really hard-"

“Oh, am I?” Dean smirked, wiggling his hips, and Cas groaned.

“ _Difficult._ You're making this-" he hissed when Dean reached between them to palm his cock through his pants, “- _really_ difficult to say no to.”

“So don't say no.”

“Dean-”

Dean sighed and moved his hand back up around Cas's neck. “You're _killing_ me…”

Cas let out a relieved breath and scrubbed a hand down his face. “You think I don't want you just as badly? Knowing you're here waiting for me, slicking for me, knowing you're carrying our pup in your womb?” He shook his head, looking desperate. “I want you _all the time._ ”

“All the time?”

Cas huffed. “ _Yes_ , Dean. All the time.”

“Hm,” Dean chewed on his lip then smiled a bit shyly. “What do you think about, when you...want me?”

“Ohhhh no,” Cas shook his head and gently, but firmly, slid Dean off his lap. “You’re not tricking me again. Last time you made me late for my meeting with Benny and he could smell it all over me.”

“I’m your mate,” Dean pointed out, trying to crawl back into Cas’s lap. “He’s _supposed_ to smell me on you.”

“What happened to my shy, blushing Omega?” Cas pushed on Dean’s shoulders, not really trying all that hard to keep Dean from his lap, but making enough of an effort that he can honestly say he did, in fact, try. “The one who could barely ask for a kiss?”

“You knotted him and got him pregnant,” Dean said gruffly, fighting and failing the blush rising to his cheeks. Some things never change.

“So you’re saying failing to knot you would be a form of punishment?” Cas asked slyly, cocking a brow.

“Y- _no_ ,” Dean corrected himself before he had the chance to royally fuck up. “No. I would not be bothered, not at all.”

“Okay, then.” Cas said smugly, easily moving Dean from his lap this time and standing, stretching his arms over his head and twisting from one side to the other, cracking his back. Dean tried to watch him without seeming like he was trying so hard to watch him, sitting back on the futon and crossing his arms over his chest. This was not going at all like he’d imagined, but he refused to back down. The downfall of his and Cas’s relationship was that they were equally stubborn, so one or the other had to reluctantly cave eventually, or they’d butt heads all the time.

He started to say something but stopped himself, pressing his lips together firmly. Cas walked over to his corner cabinet and produced his little gold box, sticking a joint between his teeth and putting it back in its place.

“You can’t smoke that in here,” Dean said grumpily, watching him with narrowed eyes.

“That’s why I’m gonna go outside,” Cas responded easily, tucking the joint behind his ear and rifling through a drawer for a shirt, which he slipped over his shoulders.

“But…”

“Yes?” Cas turned to him, a deceptively sweet smile pulling at his lips. “Something you _need_ , Omega?”

Dean pressed his lips together so hard it hurt and his teeth clacked as he snapped his jaw shut. “No,” he grounded out, pointedly looking away. “‘M fine.”

“Ah, good,” Cas pulled on a light jacket, looking too at ease and smug in Dean’s opinion. “I’ll be outside then.” He gave Dean another sweet smile and walked out the door. Dean watched through the window with narrowed eyes as Cas lit up and leaned forward against the railing of the small porch.

Fine. Cas won this time. Dean was patient, though. He’d wait for his chance.

\----

“Mornin’ sunshine,” Dean said gruffly, pulling the sheets back on Rory’s bed. She _humphed_ and rolled over, grabbing blindly for the sheets, but Dean pulled them all the way down the bed, out of her reach. “C’mon, you. Papa’s gonna take you down to Charlie’s for a few hours. Wanna make sure you’ve had somethin’ to eat first.”

“Don’t wanna go,” Rory muttered, curling in on herself.

“Too bad,” Dean teased, pulling back her curtains and letting light flood the room, which she recoiled from as much as possible. “Won’t be long. Your father is just insistent that I get some rest. And I doubt I’ll sleep anyway, so…” Dean turned back to her and shrugged as she popped an eye open to look at him. “But you know how he is. Gotta at least give it an honest try.”

“I wanna stay here with you.”

“I know, baby,” Dean sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. He ran his fingers through her long, red hair and clicked his tongue. “But papa thinks I’m not getting enough sleep.”

“So sleep here,” Rory mumbled, tugging at his arms to pull him into her bed. Dean smiled and leaned down, kissing her cheek.

“It’s just for a few hours,” Dean said softly. “Not so bad, right?”

“It’s not fair,” she pouted, kicking at her blankets, and Dean could sense a tantrum starting to build. As smart as Rory was, she was still a child. “Papa’s being _mean_.”

“No, he’s not,” Dean said, pulling her small hand into his much bigger one. “Papa is just worried. He just wants to make sure me and the pup are...are okay.”

“But I’m your pup too,” Rory said pitifully, and Dean would be lying if he said it didn’t break his heart a little.

“Aurora,” Dean said quietly, but firmly. “Nothing’s going to change the fact that you’re our pup. Not this pup, not a hundred others. We both love you, very much. But your Papa, he’s...he worries. And it would make him feel better if we do this for him. And he is Alpha, after all.”

“I’m an Alpha too.”

Dean huffed a laugh. “Yes you are, but a much smaller one. And I hate to be the one to say it, but as long as you’re in Alpha’s camp-”

“ _I have to live by Alpha’s rules_ ,” she recited dutifully, rolling her eyes. “I know.”

Dean chuckled and pulled her into his lap, kissing her forehead. “Try not to give him such a hard time, okay? He’s doing what’s best for all of us. You’re still his little girl.”

Rory tugged absently at Dean’s collar, then threw her arms around his neck and pressed her face into the space between his neck and shoulder, scenting him. He rubbed her back gently, could feel her relax a little as she calmed.

“Just a few hours, okay?” Dean promised, pulling back and cupping her face with his hands. “Then I’ll come get you and we can do whatever you want.”

She sighed a bit dramatically, as children do, and reluctantly nodded. “Just a few,” she grumbled, wrapping her fingers around his hand. “And then we get to play, right?”

Dean chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, whatever you want, kiddo.”

She grinned and hopped out of bed, the forlorn attitude completely gone as she skipped towards the kitchen. “Breakfast!” she exclaimed.

“Okay, okay,” Dean hauled himself up and grabbed her jacket. “Get dressed and we’ll go see what they got cookin’ in the kitchen.”

Rory quickly got dressed and happily held Dean’s hand as they made their way leisurely to the kitchen. The weather was warmer now, the snow all but gone but the air still a little sharp with cold. Dean liked this kind of weather, almost as much as he liked fall. He was definitely glad to see all the snow gone. He couldn’t imagine waddling in that stuff when he’s huge and ready to pop. Unfortunately, knowing that he’d be at the most uncomfortable part of his pregnancy in the sweltering heat of summer wasn’t much better, either.

Dean opened the door to the kitchen and Rory bounded inside, directly up to the serving line, where Missouri was adding spoonfuls of eggs to trays.

“Hey there, little lady,” she exclaimed cheerily, handing Rory her own tray. “Go on down there and get you some meat.” She looked up as Dean approached, giving him a warm smile and a tray as well, with a few extra spoonfuls of eggs. “And good morning to you, Dean. How you feelin’, mama bear?”

“Tired,” he said blandly, but gave her a smile.

“Still not sleepin’?”

“Not well.”

“Boy, I’ve told you, ain’t nothin’ you gonna do in your sleep gonna hurt that pup-”

“I know, I know,” Dean waved her off, moving down the line and adding some sausage to his tray, keeping an eye on Rory as she helped herself to some water. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Come by and see me later. Might have some melatonin layin’ around you can have.”

Dean paused and scrunched up his face. “Mela...um, what?”

She huffed a laugh. “Melatonin. It helps you sleep. Don’t worry, it don’t hurt nothin’.”

“Why are you here, anyway?” Dean raised a brow. “Don’t you work enough, running the medic cabin?”

“Oh hush,” she waved him off. “I like cooking. Besides, it’s the only way I know all my pregnant Omegas are eating enough.” Missouri gave him a look and Dean rolled his eyes.

“Do you see this?” he muttered, lifting up his shirt quickly to show her his pudge. “I’m eating plenty.”

“Honey,” she put her hands on her hips, “you can smart off when I see something bigger than my fist.”

Dean blushed and mumbled under his breath, which of course Missouri somehow heard and how he got a slap on the back of his head. Rory giggled and Dean quickly ushered her back outside before Missouri could find something else to hit him with.

“Hey, there she is!”

Benny rounded the corner with Cas trailing closely behind, his hands in his pockets. Benny got down on one knee and held his arms out, and Rory practically thrusted her tray into Dean’s hands before flinging herself into his arms. Benny laughed and picked her up, pulling back to look at her.

“Bein’ good for Dean, I trust.”

She just grinned and threw her arms around his neck, and he pulled her in close for one of his famous bear hugs. He let her down and patted her head, quickly taking the trays from Dean’s hands.

“Hey, brotha, let me get those for ya.”

Dean rolled his eyes and Cas shook his head, clicking his tongue.

“You’re making me look bad, Benny,” Cas said playfully, wrapping an arm around Dean’s waist and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“Maybe you should dote on me more often,” Dean teased, pulling Cas in for a proper kiss.

“I’ll have to remember that.” Cas smiled, brushing his fingers discreetly across Dean’s belly.

Rory made a disgusted sound and Benny laughed. “Just you wait, darlin’. You’ll be kissy face at someone before too long.”

“No way,” she scrunched up her face. Dean just rolled his eyes and nuzzled against his Alpha’s cheek. He wished he could drag Cas back to the cabin and have some quality time with him, but he knew Cas wouldn’t budge on the whole sleep thing.

“Hopefully not too soon,” Cas huffed, running his fingers through Dean’s hair and trying his best not to let Dean’s subtle teasing get the better of him.

“Mama,” Rory poked at his leg. “Food.”

Dean sighed and detached from Cas. “Alright, you little monster.” He gave Cas another kiss and took the food from Benny, handing Rory hers. “Here, be useful and carry some. Good seein’ you, Benny.”

Cas brushed a hand through Dean's hair, letting his hand fall to his side as Dean took Rory's free hand and they began walking back up to the cabin. He looked back once more to see Cas watching him fondly with his arms crossed over his chest, and Benny gave them both a final wave.

“Growin’ quick,” Benny grunted, and Cas hummed in agreement.

“Yeah. We're expecting the growth spurt any day now.”

“Not talkin’ bout Rory.”

Cas never took his eyes off his mate’s and pup’s ascending forms, not until he saw them retreat fully into the safety of their cabin. He rubbed a hand thoughtfully over his mouth, nodding marginally. “Yeah. I expect we'll have a rather large pup.”

Benny raised his brows. “Ain't nothin’ to worry bout. Dean's healthy. Strong.”

“I know.” Cas sighed, turning to look at him. “Doesn't make it any less scary, though.”

Benny nodded once in silence agreement. Bella had been strong and healthy, too. Her death had shocked everyone, Cas most of all. Cas had said, much later on, it had been like a switch. One moment she was fine, pushing the pup out and heart beating strong. The next, her whole body started crashing. Heart rate plummeted, her strength gave out, and she barely had time to reach for her newly born pup before the life left her.

“You can’t think like that, though,” Benny said, crossing his big arms over his chest. “I know it’s hard not to, but it will only stress both of you out. You’re under enough of it as it is, and he can’t physically afford to shoulder it.”

“I know,” Cas ran a hand through his unruly hair. “He’s confident. Anxious, but...he doesn’t appear to be afraid at all.”

“Well,” Benny huffed a laugh, “he got all of it out of his system while we were gone, I think. Bobby said he’d been in quite a state. Close to panic.”

“I hate that I wasn’t here for him,” Cas sighed, shaking his head.

“Nothin’ you coulda done about that,” Benny shrugged. “You’re Alpha. And we have a serious threat somewhere in _your_ territory.”

“A threat that we've yet to find, much less eradicate,” Cas muttered bitterly. “I just...I don't understand. I should've known.”

“No way you could've known.”

“I should've smelled it. I should've sensed it. _Something_. I'm afraid I've shaken the pack's belief in me.” Cas let out a breath as the words left him, the words he'd been too afraid to face for months. The idea that he may not be fit to run his pack anymore.

“Now you listen here, chief.” Benny laid a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eye. “This pack believes in you, now more than ever. They trust you'll take care of this. They feel safe here, safe with you. You'll find them. We all know it.”

Cas nodded absently, narrowing his eyes. “Then what? Then what do I do? Kill them all? That's not me, Benny. You know that.”

“You've always done what you've had to do, boss. If that's what has to happen, everyone here will understand that.” Benny squeezed his shoulder and dropped his hand, nodding definitively.

“I suppose,” Cas sighed.

Benny rubbed at the back of his neck then adjusted his cap. “I know that don’t make it any easier, but this world ain’t easy. Everything broke and now we’re left here to limp through the aftermath.”

“You think we’re limping?” Cas frowned at him.

Benny shrugged. “Well, it ain’t paradise.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooooo boy, so this is mostly just dirty, dirty smut.  
> I'd apologize, but then, you all know by now how much we enjoy our smut.  
> No additional tags here, but pre-warning: CAS PREGNANCY KINK.

Dean sort of hated admitting when Cas was right. 

The few hours with the cabin to himself had done him some good. Almost as soon as falling into bed, he’d passed out. For the first time, he’d been comfortable. Not too hot, no Alpha furnace attached to his side, and no squirmy pup wiggling around next to him. He’d woken up feeling refreshed, and...hungry.

So far, the pup growing inside him didn’t seem too picky. Dean could pretty much eat anything, but his aversion to celery was still strong. It was the smell that bothered him mostly, turning his stomach sour in seconds. Morning sickness was bad enough without adding that particular smelly vegetable to the mix.

And that was another thing. His sense of smell was off the charts sensitive. It was good thing Dean was mated now, because otherwise Cas’s scent woud be driving him up the walls. As it was, his body wasn’t slicking every two seconds with the Alpha around, for which Dean was grateful. With a mating bite and a pup, his body was content knowing he’d finally locked down an Alpha. Still, other smells invaded his nose and sometimes made simple tasks- like cooking- into something he could barely grit through.

He pulled together the makings for a vegetable soup and set to work chopping the veggies. His stomach growled when he began cutting the small slab of meat Cas brought up the day before and put in their makeshift icebox. He huffed a laugh and rubbed a hand over his stomach. 

“Ravenous little one already, huh?” he asked, amused. “Interesting choice, raw meat. Must take after Alpha.” Dean snorted at his own joke, then felt a little silly for essentially talking to himself. It's not like the pup could hear him yet. 

Just then the door opened and Cas walked through with Rory on his hip. He sat her on her feet and took off her jacket, shedding his own as well and hanging them by the door. 

“Something smells good,” Cas commented, coming up behind Dean and wrapping his arms around his waist, resting his chin on Dean's shoulder. 

“Your pup seems to think so, too,” Dean said, leaning back to nuzzle against Cas's cheek. 

“Do I get any?” Cas chuckled, slipping his fingers underneath Dean’s shirt to stroke his belly. 

“Only if you’re really good,” Dean smiled and threw the chopped up meat and vegetables into a pot, adding some water. 

“I’m always good,” Cas pouted and Dean reached behind, rubbing his knuckles over Alpha’s fuzzy cheeks. 

“Yes,” Dean murmured, turning in Cas’s arms, pressing his lips to Cas’s scruff. “Very good.”

Cas hummed and nipped at his fingers. “Did you sleep any?”

Dean nodded and ran a finger over a fang when Cas opened his mouth. It was strange thing, but Dean felt drawn to his Alpha’s fangs and claws. He’d spent his entire life fearing the fangs and claws of Alphas, his sleep plagued with nightmares where he’s ripped open. It was different with Cas, though, just like everything else is different with him. 

“Can I say I told you so?” Cas smiled, tilting his head.

“No,” Dean raised a brow. “Or I’ll start calling you Fluffy again.”

“You’re cruel to me.”

Dean smirked and kissed his nose. “I  _ love _ you.”

“I love you too, Omega.” Cas nuzzled Dean’s jaw and slid his hands under his shirt and around his waist, pulling him close. He pressed their lips together and Dean willingly parted his, letting Cas's tongue slip inside. 

“I love you too, Mama!” Rory piped up from her spot on the futon. 

Dean reluctantly pulled back with a smile, and Cas huffed and closed his eyes, bumping his forehead against Dean's. 

“I love you too, baby,” Dean said patiently, and Rory gave a satisfied smile before returning to her drawing. 

“Tonight,” Dean promised, pushing gently on Cas's chest, trying to ignore the ache between his legs at the sight of Cas's barely ascended fangs just from the simple act of a kiss. He really loved the amount of power he seemed to hold over Cas.

Cas growled softly and took a deep breath through his mouth, and Dean was reminded of the beginning. When they could hardly take a single whiff of each other’s scents without descending into a lust-filled haze. Not that now was much different. Cas’s scent still drove Dean wild and there were still some nights where just burying his nose into Alpha’s neck had him slicking all over the place. 

Dean shook his head to clear his thoughts and turned back to stove to busy himself with the food. Tonight seemed very far away, especially with an Alpha hovering beside him practically oozing lust from his pores. Cas was sex on legs and having him nearby made his whole body hum. 

“Were you good for Charlie?” Cas’s voice came from the living area as Dean stirred the contents of the pot.

“ _ Yes _ , papa,” Rory sighed. 

“What did you two do?” Cas asked, taking a seat next to her.

“She let me help with the garden today,” Rory said, sounding particularly proud. “She showed me what we grow during the winter. It’s almost ready to harvest, too.”

“And what do we grow?” Cas knew, of course, but he enjoyed seeing the look of proud on his pup’s face.

“Potatoes, onions, peas, and…” she paused, scrunching up her face in thought, “beans.”

“That’s right,” Cas smiled, placing a hand on her head. 

Dean smiled as he moved the pot to the woodstove, listening to his mate and pup’s exchange as he lit the fire. He joined them when he was finished, sitting on the opposite side of Rory, who was drawing a new masterpiece that she surely expected them to display somewhere in the cabin. It featured the three of them, with Benny and Charlie, and Dean much bigger than he was in reality. 

“It's you and my new brother or sister, mama,” Rory explained matter-of-factly, and Dean pulled her in wordlessly to kiss the top of her head. Cas smiled at him over Rory's head, draping his around around her to brush his fingers against Dean's neck, effectively giving him chills. 

“He looks beautiful, don't you think, baby?” Cas asked Rory, and she nodded vigorously. 

“Yeah,” she agreed, coloring in the green of Dean's shirt over his massive belly. “This is right before Jack is born.”

Cas raised a brow and looked over at Dean, then back down at Rory. 

“Jack?”

“Yeah,” Rory said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I call mama's pup Jack. He's in his belly, but he should have a name.”

Dean and Cas shared a look, then Dean smiled and brushed some of her hair aside. “Jack, huh? Where’d you come up with that name?”

Rory shrugged. “Just did. That’s his name.”

Dean raised a brow and chuckled. “Okay, fair enough. You excited to meet Jack?”

Rory grinned and looked up at him. “Yeah, I’ve always wanted a little brother or sister. And a mommy. Now I have both.”

Dean swallowed past a sudden lump in his throat and chalked it up to pregnancy hormones. Rory went back to her drawing, having no idea how much her words meant to Dean. He felt Cas squeeze his hand and squeezed it back, taking a deep breath.

Rory suddenly turned to him and placed her little hand on his belly, a look of utter concentration on her face. She sighed after a moment. “I can’t feel him,” she said, disappointed.

Dean smiled and covered her hand with his. “No, baby, it’s too soon. He’s too small for us to feel.”

Rory frowned at that, flexing her fingers. “You don't feel him at all?”

Dean furrowed his own brow, tilting his head. “Well… he's not moving or anything yet.” Of course, Dean could _ feel _ him, but it wasn't anything he knew how to describe to a six-year-old. It was all odd fluttering, the sense of what the pup liked (and disliked), the ever- present carefulness that he felt he needed to execute to keep him safe. 

“When he moves, will I be able to feel him?” Rory asked innocently, and Dean found himself overwhelmed with emotion again, pulling her against him and wrapping his arms around her small frame. 

“I think so,” Dean said, kissing the top of her head, struggling to hold back inexplicable tears. 

“Rory,” Cas said gently after a while, “can you give Dean and I a minute?”

“Fine, but only a  _ minute, _ ” she responded impatiently, sliding down off the futon and pressing a sweet kiss to Dean's belly, giving it a soft pat. “Bye, Jack.”

She left without much of a fuss, which made Cas raise his eyebrows, then he turned to Dean. 

“Are you alright?” he asked gently, reaching up to stroke his hair. 

“I’m fine,” Dean shook his head and waved his hand, embarrassed and frustrated more than anything else. “Just...these damn hormones. No tellin’ what sets them off.”

Cas pressed his tongue to his teeth and slid his hand down to cup Dean’s cheek. “Sure it’s just the hormones?”

“Yeah, yeah….just…” Dean shrugged and wiped away a stupid tear. Jesus, if he wasn’t leaking slick these days he was leaking tears. “Sometimes it hits me.”

Cas frowned and guided Dean’s head to his shoulder, letting it rest there as he continued to stroke his hair. “What does?”

“ _ This _ …” Dean huffed, a hand clinging to Cas’s loose shirt. “That this is all...real. I have a mate, the mate of my dreams, and a pup...another one on the way. I just never thought I’d get to have this, Cas. Sometimes, the things Rory says, reminds me how lucky I am. Not all Omegas get a happy ending.”

“But all Omegas deserve a happy ending,” Cas said softly, the sound of his deep voice vibrating deep in his chest, and Dean slid his head down to his chest, reveling in the it. “All of them.”

Cas, ever the humanitarian. 

“You make that happen,” Dean said, forcing the tears back now. “Everything you do, all of it, you do for the Omegas here and the ones you're able to save. You give countless Omegas happy endings.”

Cas didn't say anything at first, slowly brushing Dean's hair back and resting his chin on the top of his head. “I'm most invested in yours.”

“Well, good.” Dean huffed a laugh and pulled away, wiping away a stray tear and sniffing loudly. “I'm sorry, it's stupid. I'm happy Cas, I am. Dunno why I'm crying.”

“Because you're pregnant,” Cas said with a smile, rubbing a thumb over his cheek. “I understand, Omega.”

“It’s still stupid,” Dean mumbled, feeling incredibly silly now that the tears had dried up. Cas was saint for dealing with all of this, knowing they have seven more months of it.

“No, it’s not,” Cas chuckled, nuzzling his hair. “It’s perfectly natural.”

“Not sure I can do several more months of this,” Dean snorted, rubbing at his face.

“Yes, you can,” Cas murmured into Dean’s hair, kissing his head. “Beautiful Omega. You can do anything. You’ve already proven that.”

“Sweet talker.”

“Mmhm, works every time,” Cas smiled, a hand coming to rest on Dean’s pudge. “I’ll prove just how beautiful and strong I think you are later tonight.”

Dean blushed, his heart skipping a beat with excitement. It didn’t matter how many times he was with Cas, how many times his Alpha claimed him, it would always put a fire in his belly. 

Rory poked her head out of her room. “It's been a minute.”

Cas huffed and smiled, giving Dean a final kiss on his forehead before sliding back over to accommodate their rambunctious pup. 

\----

“My sweet, sweet boy. Beautiful Omega.”

Dean arched off the bed as Cas kissed his way down his body, licking along his collarbone, sucking a hardened nipple between his lips, then moving to the scars. He intentionally passed over Dean's stomach, his hands following the path of his lips, sliding along his scars as he moved lower. 

“Look at you.” Cas kissed the dip of his hip, where one scar stretched up and across his hip bone. He gripped the outside of each of his thighs, sliding his hands up and brushing his thumb across the scar. “Laid out for me, so perfect, so beautiful, bred up with my pup.” 

His hands finally slid to his belly, gently cupping the slight swell, pressing kisses there. 

Dean whimpered and reached down, gripping Cas’s hair tightly as a shudder went through him. His legs were open, Cas resting comfortably in between them, and the sheets were gradually becoming soaked in slick. Alpha’s arousal was in the air and Dean breathed it in greedily, drunk on the scent already.

He looked down and watched Cas press open mouth kisses to his belly, felt a fang slide along his skin, and groaned as a fresh wave a slick seeped out. It didn’t take much work from Cas to get Dean’s body wet and open, and Dean squirmed as his hole twitched needily. They weren’t rushing this, though. Time alone together was rare and there was no telling when they would get it again.

Dean groaned loudly- so loudly it was almost embarrassing- when a finger pressed against his pucker. “So wet for me already,” Cas breathed, laving his tongue across Dean’s stomach. “Nice and swollen for me down here. You don’t even need my fingers do you, Omega? I could just slide right in. You would take my knot so well, sweet boy.”

Dean flushed and arched, a choked growl in his throat. “Yes, Alpha,” he gasped out, fingers tightening in Cas’s hair. “Want it. Want your knot. Make me nice and full.”

“Yes,” Cas said darkly, rubbing his finger teasingly against the puckered muscle. “Your body was made for me, Omega, made to stretch perfectly around me, made to be bred by me.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Dean moaned, writhing beneath him.

Cas's fingers disappeared and Dean whined at their loss, his hole clenching around nothing, frustratingly empty. Instead Cas licked a stripe up his stomach, his hands roaming the very small bulge of Dean's abdomen. 

“I can't explain to you how crazy you make me like this,” Cas continued, his hands slowly caressing the skin, thumbs massaging over where their pup lay. “Your body accepting my seed, perfectly forming a home for our pup.” His eyes flitted up to Dean's face briefly before he looked back down at the small swell, pressing another kiss there. He moved up, taking  a nipple in his mouth again and sucking gently, and Dean keened under him. 

“You'll start producing milk soon, too,” Cas murmured off-handedly, Dean blushing furiously at the thought. Cas caught it, though, shaking his head and brushing a thumb over his reddened cheek. 

“It's natural, baby. Your body is perfect, gonna provide so well for our pup,” Cas assured him, flicking a sensitive nipple with his thumb. “But if you are uncomfortable with it, I can leave these alone when it happens.” He pressed another soft kiss to Dean's belly, and Dean canted his hips upward at the touch. 

“Please,” Dean moaned, more slick leaking out and making the sheets an absolute mess by now. “So empty, Cas. Need you. Get _ in me _ .”

Cas chuckled, seemingly in no hurry to fulfill his mate’s demands. “Mm, patience, Omega. I’ll take care of you. I want to savor you first.”

“Not your damn dinner,” Dean snapped, eyes blazing with lust.

Cas looked up at him, eyes nearly black, fangs poking out and glinting. The gaze held Dean, made the air in his lungs freeze, his blood pump faster. Slowly, Cas curled his lips back to reveal the full length of his fangs in all their ferocious glory. They were large, sharp, dangerous. So entranced with the sight of them, Dean almost didn’t catch the sound, the noise vibrating through the room. A low, warning growl that could only come from something wild.

Dean whimpered, his body on fire with lust and just the tiniest hint of fear. It was easy to forget with his laid back attitude, but Cas was something wild and dangerous. There were times, like this, where Cas approached the edge of his humanity and Dean could never decide if he wanted to tip him over or bring him back. 

Dean swallowed hard as Cas fixed him with a hard stare for awhile longer, perfectly still, as if daring him to say something else. Dean doesn't, even though he desperately wanted to beg for him again, the ache of his slicking hole becoming almost unbearable. Cas finally blinked and ran his hands back over Dean's belly and down his thighs.

“Are you going to be a good boy for me?”

Dean nodded desperately. 

“Dean.” Cas's eyes flashed as the underlying bite of  _ Alpha  _ tone seeped through his voice, and he tilted his head menacingly to the side. 

Dean swallowed again and tried to lick his lips, but his mouth was dry. “Yes, Alpha,” he said submissively, his voice hoarse. 

Cas gave him a feral grin, sitting back on his knees and taking his own cock in his hand, stroking slowly. “Show me.”

Dean hesitated only for a moment before instinct took over, his body dictating what it should do naturally to please his Alpha. He rolled to his side and scrambled to his hands and knees, bending over and pressing his cheek to the mattress, his palms down by his head, presenting himself to Cas. 

Cas hummed appreciatively as he slid his hands up the back of Dean's thighs to the globes of his ass, nails biting into the meat as he squeezed and pulled them apart. Dean gave a long moan as his hole clenched and released more slick, and he felt it run down his crack and onto his balls.

“You're so ready to be bred again, aren't you, Omega?” 

It was a rhetorical question, so Dean moaned again in response, pushing his ass back toward Cas, his hole clenching in an attempt to entice his Alpha. He moved a hand to his belly instinctively, caressing the life inside. 

“You love this, don't you? Being bred with my pup. Carrying a piece of me inside you, knowing how crazy it makes me each day you grow. In truth, I love it probably more than you do. I'm obsessed with you like this.” Cas hummed again and pressed a finger to Dean's hole, barely pushing the tip inside, and Dean sucked in a breath. “Pregnant Omegas slick so much more… did you know that? You'll come harder than you ever have, and it'll only get more intense as the pregnancy progresses. I can't wait to breed you in the coming months, when our pup has grown and hangs low in your belly. You're going to look fucking sinful.”

Dean blushed furiously and was thankful his face was mostly hidden. He swallowed thickly, his cock twitching between his legs as it hung neglected and leaking. He didn’t dare reach for it, no matter how much it pulsed. Cas prefered to make Dean come from his cock alone, buried deep, and Dean took no issue with that.

“Do you know how gorgeous you look?” Cas whispered and Dean choked when he felt his tongue probe his hole. “So  _ wet _ , dripping for me. This pretty little hole of yours is just begging for a big, Alpha cock.”

Dean groaned and pushed his ass back again, slick seeping and coating the backs of his thighs, dripping down his balls. He could hardly stand it now. He  _ needed _ to be filled, needed that knot so stretch him wide and full. His hole clenched wildly and Cas groaned as he watched those pink, slicked muscles contract. 

“You taste devine, Omega,” Cas murmured, pressing his tongue against the swollen pucker. “All this delicious slick, just for me. Mmmm, I could do this all day. But you’d prefer I fill you with my cock instead, hm?”

Dean nodded and cleared his dry throat. “Yes, Alpha.”

“That’s my good boy.”

His tongue circled Dean’s hole a few more times, and he gasped sharply and jumped with he speared him with it again. His thighs shook with the effort to hold himself up as his entire body pulsed with need, and he desperately folded himself down into presentation position as far as he could, his face pressed into the sheets and ass perfectly at Cas’s waist. Cas had pulled away and Dean could tell he was just sitting there watching him, so he whined lowly and clenched his hole tightly, smirking the slightest at Cas’s sharp intake of breath. It was only a few short seconds after that when Cas lined himself up and nudged teasingly at his entrance, at which point Dean was aching so badly he could hardly stand it.

“God, the way you smell right now, I'd be able to catch your scent from  _ miles _ away. The scent of pregnant Omega…” Cas hummed as he rubbed the head of his cock up and down Dean’s crack, over his hole, holding Dean’s ass cheek with one hand. Dean impatiently rocked back one of the times that the head of Cas’s cock teased his hole, and it popped slightly past the muscle. Dean froze that way, both feeling guilty for taking his pleasure into his own hands and not feeling the least bit bad about it as the ache quickly began to subside. 

It was halfway expected when Cas’s palm connected with his backside and a low growl erupted in his throat, but Dean was thankful that he didn’t pull back out. He arched slightly at the spanking and whimpered, pressing his face into the sheets and clenching his hole wildly around the tip of Cas’s cock in apology.

“ _ Impatient _ , Omega,” Cas scolded, rubbing soothingly over the blossoming red mark on Dean’s cheek. “You wait for your Alpha, understand?”

Dean nodded, whimpering. He gasped when a hand came down again, and another desperate “Yes, Alpha” tumbled from his lips. 

“Good boy,” Cas purred, sliding his hand down to cup Dean’s belly, his knuckles bumping against his otherwise neglected cock. “Yes, just a little bump now, but it’s beautiful. I can’t wait until you swell even more. It will take all my willpower not to bury myself in you every time I lay eyes on it.”

Dean shuddered and could swear he felt a flutter from deep inside, but it could very well have been his excitement. He groaned desperately as Cas inched a little more inside, and his passage clenched around the welcomed girth. He heard Cas choke back a groan and hid his smirk in the sheets. Alpha may call the shots, but once he was inside it was Dean who really had the control. Cas couldn’t think straight with Dean’s walls hugging him so perfectly. 

“It’s largely instinctual, you know,” Cas said calmly, though Dean could tell his teeth were clenched with the effort to control himself. “Omegas in heat attract Alphas for breeding, but pregnant Omegas have the same effect on them...especially their mates. Knotting is good for pregnancy, keeps the Omegas healthy and strong to provide what the pups need to survive while they’re in the womb.” Cas let out his breath in a  _ whoosh  _ as he canted his hips forward and pressed himself inside, and Dean clenched around him, the tight muscle and slick walls engulfing him, pulling him in, inch by inch. 

But he still resisted slightly, not seating himself all the way inside yet, and Dean whimpered miserably, wanting to be full of Alpha’s thick cock. 

“There’s just something about a pregnant Omega...something that drives Alphas wild with desire. I’m afraid I’ll lose my mind a little bit, in the coming months, as you grow bigger with our pup. I won’t be able to help myself.”

Dean groaned and pushed back impatiently, earning himself another hard slap across his backside that caused him to clench tightly around Cas, causing him to hiss through his teeth. 

“You like that, don’t you, Omega?” Cas hummed lowly, reaching down and grabbing Dean’s shoulders, pushing his hips forward as he pulled back on them, pulling Dean back on his cock. Dean moaned loudly as his Alpha took him, shivering as the beginning of his knot slid past his rim, fully seating him inside. “You love being a bad boy, cause you love when I reprimand you. And we both know how you  _ love  _ to drive me crazy with desire.  _ Jesus _ , I’ll be lost a couple months down the road. I hope you can handle it.” 

His hands slid down again and back around to Dean’s belly, caressing his slight bump with featherlight touches of his fingertips, and Dean felt the weird fluttering again, making him shiver with excitement. Cas stroked again, like he could feel it despite it being impossible, and Dean shuddered violently when it happened once more. 

“Tell me, Omega. Will you be able to handle your lascivious Alpha?”

Dean didn’t exactly know what that meant, but he could draw a conclusion based on everything else Cas had said, and he groaned and nodded furiously.

A light smack on his ass caused him to arch and cry out softly.

“Tell me.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Dean said hoarsely, “want everything you can give me. Want you to fill me so full, breed me so good, put multiple pups in me. I need it, Alpha, need you, please…”

“So polite, Omega,” Cas said smugly, and Dean rolled his eyes but he didn’t dare give any other hints of annoyance, staying as still as he could while he waited for Cas to make another move, despite wanting to push back on the throbbing cock inside him and attempt to pull it deeper.

Dean pressed and rubbed his cheek against the sheets, whimpering, doing anything he could to get Cas to  _ move _ . Alpha usually didn’t tease him so much, wasn’t usually so demanding, and Dean wasn’t used to not getting what he wanted when he wanted it. It occurred him that he might be a little spoiled, but it also occurred to him that he really didn’t give a fuck. 

“Are you going to be good?” Cas’s voice rumbled next to his ear, more of a growl than anything else. 

“Yes, Alpha,” Dean purred, fluttering his hole and groaning when that thick cock twitched inside him. “Good. I’ll be good.” 

Cas hummed and nipped at Dean’s mating bite, making the Omega’s whole body shiver and causing his scent to flare. Cas groaned, loud and dirty, and pressed his cock deeper. 

He gripped the back of Dean’s neck and righted himself as he pulled out and snapped his hips forward sharply and unexpectedly, pitching Dean forward slightly as he gasped and arched. A choked cry left him before he even realized it, swallowed by a moan as Cas finally gave him exactly what he’d wanted. He snapped his hips roughly against his backside, skin slapping wet skin, impaling Dean with each thrust. 

Being pregnant, he’d found- long before Cas informed him of it- made everything so much more intense. His instincts were sharper than they’d ever been, his sense of smell, his own scents. He could actually smell  _ himself  _ now, at times when he was particularly aroused or afraid or anxious. He felt he could almost taste each and every separate molecule of the food he ate sometimes, though he knew that was impossible. Touch was incredibly heightened, where even the slightest brush of Cas’s fingers, sexual or not, would often give him goosebumps and cause his scent to flare. And it was strange but his eyesight had even improved, weirdly so, to the point that he practically had night vision. He’d told Cas about that, to which he’d wrinkled his nose in doubt and shook his head. Cas said it must be in his head, that it wasn’t possible for that to happen, but Dean knew he could definitely very clearly see out into the woods behind their cabin in the dark of the night. 

A sharp jab against Dean’s prostate brought him out of his thoughts and he cried out, claws extending abruptly and biting into the sheets. Cas let go of his neck in favor of gripping his hips to drive into him, and Dean used the opportunity to look back and watch him, his muscles rippling under sweaty, tanned skin as he pumped into him. His knot had begun to swell already, popping wetly in and out of his hole as Cas moved.

_ “Castiel _ ,” Dean breathed, moaning as the name rolled off his tongue and Cas flexed his fingers over his sweaty hips, trying to get a better grip. Dean’s stomach fluttered almost constantly, flipping weirdly, and he wasn’t sure if he liked or disliked the foreign feeling. “My strong Alpha, I-  _ fuck!”  _ He howled and whimpered as Cas slammed into him and held him there, circling his hips as he pressed all the way inside. “Need more, Cas, harder, harder…” he couldn’t believe he was asking for it even as he said it, but there it was, and it was too late to take it back. Cas obliged without a word, slamming so hard into him that Dean saw stars and he knew Cas’s hip bones would leave bruises on his backside.

Cas pulled out without warning, and Dean cried out in protest, earning himself another slap before Cas nimbly flipped him over to his back, barely managing a grunt. Dean hit the mattress and bounced slightly, folding his arms over his stomach. Cas licked his lips and pressed them between Dean’s arms to his stomach, looking up at him with big blue apologetic eyes. He was soft only for a moment though, promptly pushing back in and gripping under and around Dean’s thighs, popping his swelling knot past his rim again. 

Dean could do nothing but hold on as his Alpha pounded into him, over and over, his knot tugging on his swollen rim with every thrust. Dean kept one arm folded protectively over his stomach, the other braced up against the headboard. He couldn’t tear his eyes from Cas, who looked so  _ feral _ , so lost and well past the edge he normally toed. He growled or snarled with every other snap of his hips, their flesh hitting hard and with a loud  _ slap, _ no doubt leaving bruises now. Dean felt the tips of claws poking at his skin and was amazed Cas was keeping himself in check enough to keep from tearing through him. 

Dean’s senses were overloaded, Alpha’s scent clouding his mind and saturating the air. He felt well and truly dominated, pinned beneath a wild Alpha as he was stretched open. Every pass of Cas’s cock was ecstasy, ripping moans and whimpers from Dean’s throat as he arched into it, greedily latching onto that fattening knot. He wanted  _ more, more, more _ . Wanted Alpha’s seed, his mark, wanted to be full of nothing but  _ Cas _ . 

When his knot caught Cas eyes flashed and he threw his head back and gave a raspy howl, similar to the ones Dean had come to love from the forest at night, that turned out to actually be his Alpha in his wolf form. The sound was strangely soothing to him, while simultaneously scaring the shit out of him. Cas pitched forward as he poured into his Omega, bracing one hand on the bed beside him and the other palm down over the swell of his stomach, his fingers splayed across where their young pup laid. Dean felt the warmth filling him full, Cas’s cock twitching with each spurt of cum, and before Cas’s first orgasm could even finish Dean was coming between them, coating his own stomach and Cas’s hand. He cried out as it overtook him, stiffening his entire body, and the world around him went black.

When he came to again the hand of Cas’s that was resting on his stomach was now at by his face, spreading his own cum across his lips. Cas watched with a concerned look, biting his lip, until Dean willingly opened his mouth and took in the fingers, sucking them clean. Cas let out a relieved breath and Dean could feel as he came inside him again, his eyes rolling back in his head, head falling forward as his arm shook with the effort of keeping himself up. 

“ _ God,  _ you take me so well, Omega,” Cas murmured, shaking his head slightly as he ran his hand through the mess over his stomach, rubbing the cum into his skin. “You never cease to amaze me.”

Dean moaned brokenly, sluggishly lapping at Cas’s fingers when the Alpha pressed them to his lips again. He sighed as he tasted himself, his belly fluttering as Cas caressed it gently. He shifted his legs, pulling slightly at the knot buried inside. Cas hissed and jerked, spilling for a third time and filling Dean with even more of his seed. Dean arched, drunk on ecstasy and greedily clenching around the hot cock, milking it for more. 

“ _ Fuck, Dean,”  _ Cas grabbed Dean’s hip to keep him still, his cock kicking with over stimulation. “So beautiful, Omega. So beautiful like this, taking my seed so well. Look at you. You still want more, don’t you? Want me to fill you up, breed you until you're big with my pups.” 

If Dean had the ability to get hard again, he would have. His spent cock twitched, dribbles of cum slipping out, and his hole clenched wildly. He couldn’t help it. Even pregnant, his body was hungry for Alpha.

Dean closed his eyes and sucked at Cas's fingers long after he'd cleaned them, the action giving him a strange sense of ease and security. He listened to Cas inhale softly as he filled him again, lazily pumping whatever he had left into Dean's body. 

“So  _ full _ , Alpha,” Dean murmured tiredly when Cas retracted his fingers, his body coming down from its inhuman high. “But I can fit more, Cas, I can-"

“Shhhhh,” Cas hushed him. “You've done so well, Omega. You've pleased your Alpha, now you need to rest.”

Dean was boneless and utterly useless anyway, and he nodded without even opening his eyes, knowing argument would be pointless. He let Cas manhandle him, situating him on his side with Cas behind him, taking care not to let his knot pull at Dean's sore, swollen rim. Cas moved the arm under him up around the top of Dean's head and brushed his fingers through his hair, and he draped his other arm around his middle, naturally coming to rest on his stomach.

He pressed a kiss to the back of Dean's neck and teased his mating bite with his tongue. 

Dean fell asleep like that, completely spent and safe in his Alpha’s arms. Cas’s presence, his scent, surrounded him in cocoon of bliss. He slept through Cas’s knot going down, through the gentle cleaning Cas administered, through being tucked into the blankets. He didn’t even wake after Rory came home an hour later. 

When Dean did wake, it was well into the middle of the night, and he was wonderfully sore. Dean grunted and rolled over carefully, his muscles below protesting, and settled onto his back. He blinked through the darkness, eyesight clearing remarkably fast, and found a set of glowing blues looking down at him.

Dean wasn’t all that surprised to find Cas awake, sitting up and leaning against the wall, his head next to the open window above their bed. A joint hung from his lips, the smoke wafting up and out the window. Dean would still argue that it doesn’t count as being outside, but he was too tired to care. 

“Why aren’t you asleep?” Dean whispered, the darkness still and quiet around them.

Cas shrugged and took a drag, blowing it out slowly in the direction of the window. He didn’t answer, his eyes guarded. Dean frowned and reached out, laying a hand on his thigh.

“Talk to me,” he murmured.

Cas looked down for a long moment, then sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry.”

Dean raised a brow. “For what?”

“I meant to...ease you into those sorts of things,” Cas swallowed. “My nature is just...so hard to control sometimes. Especially now. But that’s no excuse.”

“Cas, I’m not...not following,” Dean tilted his head. “What are you talking about?”

Cas shook his head and looked back up out the window, taking a slow drag of the joint. Dean watched him for awhile in silence, giving him the chance to speak, to explain why the air was suddenly thick with the sour scent of anxiety and something else bitter. Dean could taste it on his tongue. 

Cas’s eyes flitted back to him when Dean got tired of waiting and rolled back over to push himself up, and Cas reached out to help when Dean winced. Despite that, Dean sat up himself, holding a hand up to Cas.

“I’m fine. Now,” Dean turned to face him, pulling Cas in by his chin, forcing those glowing eyes to meet his gaze. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Cas stared blankly at him for awhile, his jaw set. But Dean knew Cas, knew him better than anybody, and this wasn’t true malice. He’d seen that before. 

“Cas,” Dean said desperately, pushing him back against the wall and moving slowly to straddle his lap, hands cupping his face. Cas raised the joint to his lips and took a drag and Dean plucked it away and threw it out the window, fixing Cas with a hard look. Cas turned his head away to blow the smoke out and almost reluctantly moved a hand up to Dean’s lower back, pulling him close, and the movement smarted just the slightest. 

“Please talk to me, Cas. You’re scaring me.”

That strong bitter taste weighed heavy on Dean’s tongue. He hated it.

“I’m so sorry, Dean,” Cas shook his head, raising his hand to cup his cheek, brushing his thumb across his jaw. “You’ve always brought out the best in me, but...I’m afraid, you inadvertently also bring out the worst in me.”

“You realize sometimes when you talk it’s like trying to figure out a damn riddle?”

Cas laughed humorlessly, his head falling back against the wall. Dean wished it would’ve been genuine, would’ve lightened the mood. He wanted that awful taste to go away and never come back.

“I hurt you, Dean. I did the one thing I said I’d never do...that you trusted me to never do. You’ve come so far, worked so hard, and I’m the one to-” his voice caught in his throat and he swallowed with a click, closing his glowing eyes. 

“Did I miss something?” Dean frowned, growing more and more confused by the second. “When did you supposedly hurt me?”

“Dean,” Cas rubbed at his face, the bags under his eyes looking more prominent than ever. “You don’t have to play dumb with me. I was...I was too rough. Jesus, you’re carrying my pup and I... _ pounded _ into you, like-”

“Wait,” Dean held up his hand and Cas clicked his jaw shut, hanging his head like a dog ready to be reprimanded. Which was ridiculous. His Alpha didn’t hang his head for anyone. “Is this...about the sex?”

Cas blinked, frowning. “Well, yes...of course. I-”

“Okay, I’m gonna stop you right there,” Dean huffed and let his hand fall with a  _ slap _ to his thigh. “I ever tell you to stop?”

Cas bit his lip and looked away. “Dean-”

“Answer the question.”

“No.”

“I ever try to pull away?”

Cas closed his eyes. “No.”

“Did I, even once, cry out in pain?”

“Well, no, but-”

“Then I’m not seeing a problem here,” Dean said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Cas, you’ve never done anything that even remotely made me a little uncomfortable. Let alone cause any sort of real pain. That includes this, um, last time.”

Cas huffed and shook his head. “Dean-”

“Don’t make me smack you.”

Cas stared at him a moment before breaking out in laughter that shook his whole body, and finally the bitter taste in Dean’s mouth dissipated. The strange heavy feeling in the room lifted and Dean could feel the fluttering in his stomach again, airy and happy.

“God, you’re so...you just have this...I don’t know. This air of  _ joy  _ about you all the time. Like it’s contagious, rubs off on everyone you’re around.” Cas took Dean’s face in his hands and stroked his cheeks with his thumbs. “You don’t even realize it, but it’s incredible.”

Dean snorted and nuzzled his palm. “How many did you smoke?”

“I’m serious,” Cas clicked his tongue. “I can feel it all the time. I can  _ see _ it. I remember when I first laid eyes on you. How tired you looked. So ready to give up, but you still gave me that feeling. You’ve come so far and in such a short amount of time.”

“Doesn’t feel that, um, far,” Dean shrugged. “Still have nightmares. Still can’t stand other Alphas. I still don’t-”

“Omega,” Cas said gently, cupping his chin. “Take a moment. You’re in bed, with me, an Alpha. You’re letting me touch you. Now think back to six months ago and tell me that’s not a huge step.”

Dean licked his lips and looked down between them, moving a hand across his torso to rest absently on his stomach.

“You don't even realize it, but the moment you entered this camp those months ago, you were changed. You gave up everything you knew, everything you trusted, because of what you'd heard about the camp. And despite your fears coming here, you were never afraid of your decision. Not once. Your instincts have always been trustworthy.”

Dean shook his head and looked back up. “It was all cause of you, Cas. It-"

“Stop giving me credit you should be giving yourself,” Cas said sternly. “I’m glad you felt comfortable enough with me when you came here to want to credit me with your healing, but as we’ve discussed several times over, you are the one who saved yourself. I was merely here to catch you if you fell.”

Dean could feel the stupid tears welling in his eyes again and he blinked them back, swallowing thickly. Cas pressed his lips together and pulled him in close, kissing his forehead.

“You’re sure you’re not hurt?”

Dean huffed a shaky laugh, wiping a tear away. “Shut up, Cas.”

“Dean, I just…” Cas sighed. “Want to make sure I didn’t take things too far.”

“You didn’t,” Dean said, taking his hand and kissing his knuckles. “I mean, we’ve...never really done that before. Never thought it could, um, be like that.”

“It doesn’t have to be like that,” Cas said earnestly. “We can go back to the other way, if you want.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it, Cas,” Dean rolled his eyes. “Just saying it was...new, is all.” He smiled and stroked Cas’s fuzzy cheek. “If I can’t handle my Alpha at his wildest, then I’m not much of an Omega. Besides I, um...I dunno. I liked seeing you...that way.” He frowned thoughtfully. “Doesn’t make a lot of sense. But not much makes a lot of sense with you.”

Cas sighed and laid a hand on Dean’s neck, sliding it around to the back and squeezing possessively. “I realize that we still need to have that talk. About me, the shifting, the lore...all of it. I haven’t forgotten.”

Dean shrugged. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued.”

“There’s still much I have to tell you. But we have time. We have as much time as we need.”

Dean brushed his fingers over the swell of his stomach, smiling softly. “Cas, do you...are you the only one left?”

Cas tilted his head and furrowed his brow, then turned to look out the window, the blue glow of his eyes catching in the moonlight. “I only know what I feel, as I’ve heard nothing about other shifters in recent years. But no...I don’t feel like I’m alone.”

Dean tilted his head, mesmerized by the way Cas’s eyes shone. “Why do you think they’re hiding?”

“Well,” Cas turned back to Dean and licked his lips. “Think about what you feel for most Alphas.”

Dean cast his eyes down and that old, sickening cold feeling of dread creeped up his spine. As comfortable as he was with Cas, other Alphas- even just a whiff of their scent- still sent him running in the other direction.

“Mmhm,” Cas hummed, watching Dean’s face turn from tranquil to terrified in seconds. “Now, couple that with the wolf, the inhuman strength...all the horror stories I’m sure you’ve heard about shifters.”

Dean flinched with some guilt, though he logically knew it wasn’t his fault. Shifters were whispered about, mostly in fear from Omegas and awe from Alphas. Hell, he had nightmares about them when he’d been young to believe in them. He’d dreamt of beasts, huge with yellow teeth, claws ripping into his flesh, vicious snapping of jaws. The stories told of wild, ferocious Alphas. Capable of taking the  _ true _ form, the form everyone said they came from: wolf. They were dangerous, feral, wild creatures that only knew one thing:

Hunger.

Food, sex...whatever a shifter wanted, it got. But they were all just stories. Sure, some Alphas Dean had run into boasted on being shifters. Using the threat to make their Omegas submit. The older Dean got, the less he believed, until he finally realized all those Alphas were just full of shit.

“I guess I understand why you’d want to stay hidden,” Dean murmured, shifting uncomfortably in his lap. Cas sighed again and closed the window, then held Dean close to his body as he moved him to his back, adjusting one pillow under his head and the other under the backs of his knees. He laid beside him, tracing his fingertips up and down his stomach, down over the small swell and back up. The fluttering started up again, and Dean’s sure of it this time, and he smiled, looking up at Cas. “He likes that, I think.”

Cas stopped and frowned at him. “Surely you can’t-”

“No, no,” Dean shook his head. “He’s not moving yet, not really. Just get this weird sensation sometimes, usually when you’re around. Sometimes when Rory is. But...only for the two of you, so far.”

Cas smiled and looked back down, rubbing his hand lovingly over his belly. “What has Missouri said?”

Dean shrugged. “Not much. I mean, really...there’s not a lot she can tell me. She says I’m healthy and measuring normally, if not maybe a little larger. But she said she imagined that might be normal for a pup fathered by an Alpha shifter, for all she knew. That Rory measured big too. But...you knew all that already, didn’t you?” Dean tilted his head knowingly at Cas. He knew Cas had been going to speak with Missouri after his appointments behind his back, to make sure everything was okay and there was nothing he needed to worry about that maybe Dean wouldn’t tell him. He didn’t like letting Dean know how much the worry plagued him.

Cas avoided his gaze, mesmerized with his hand gliding over his stretched skin. 

“He’s only about this big,” Dean said, showing him by holding up his hands, about three inches apart. “At most.”

“Fascinating,” Cas marveled quietly, pressing his lips to the bulge.

Dean chuckled, running a hand through his hair. “You really do like me like this, huh?”

“You have no idea,” Cas growled, laying his head on Dean’s chest and resuming his gentle rubbing. “I keep thinking that there’s no way I can get any more attracted to you, then you wake up each and every morning like this, and you take my breath away.”

“I think you just have a pregnancy kink,” Dean snorted, watching Cas caress the skin of his stomach.

“Maybe it’s just a  _ you _ kink.”

“Maybe you’re just full of it.”

Cas snorted a laugh and kissed lazily at Dean’s chest. “I will say this. Being pregnant has certainly brought out the...Missouri in you.”

Dean flushed and smiled. “Sorry. Can’t seem to help it. Like my filter is just...gone. Say whatever pops into my head.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Cas glanced up at him lovingly. “I like it. You’ve always been so...mm, careful with your words. So shy. While adorable, I like that you’re opening up. And I happen to find sarcasm and a smart mouth very attractive.”

“Or you’re just going senile from your old age.”

He felt Cas smile against his skin. “You seem very fixated on my age.”

Dean huffed. “No I don't."

“Yeah, you do.” Cas leaned back to look up at him with a sly grin. “Maybe you have a kink for older men.”

Dean blushed furiously, and he was thankful for the dark of the room, though he was sure Cas could feel the heat radiating off of him regardless. “Or maybe it's just dominance. You know, since it's ingrained in Omegas-"

“No, it's more than that.”

“Well.” Dean pushed his head back down and Cas chuckled. He ran his fingers through his hair, a smile tugging at his lips. “How old are you, anyway?”

“I’ve told you. Forty-eight.”

“Yeah, okay. But how old are you really?”

Cas was silent for a long time, resuming the gentle caress of his belly. “I’m...not sure.”

Dean furrowed his brow. “But...how could you  _ not know _ ?”

“Age is just a social construct that people like to adhere themselves to,” Cas said simply. “My father didn’t do that. We didn’t necessarily celebrate birthdays. My father wasn’t even sure exactly how old he was. He barely aged physically. When he died he didn’t look much older than I do now, but he was well over one hundred years. That’s all I knew with certainty.”

Dean’s jaw dropped and he quickly snapped it shut, looking at Cas apologetically. Although, come on, his Alpha can change into a wolf and is possibly over 100 years old. Dean felt he was allowed to look a little shocked. 

“...Well,” Dean cleared his throat and smiled. “You look pretty damn good to be 100.”

Cas chuckled and patted Dean’s belly. “Oh, well thank you. I  _ do _ try to keep active.”

Dean snorted and poked at his nose. “Funny.”

“This doesn’t bother you?” Cas asked seriously, his hand pausing over Dean’s bump.

“Why would it?” Dean shrugged and slid a hand into Cas’s hair. “You’re still you. Hundred year old wolf or a tired old man who likes to smoke pot.”

Cas deadpanned. “Those are my options?”

“‘Fraid so.”

“Yeah, well, you’re a baby.”

“I am not!”

“You are.” Cas rolled to his back, looking up at him and trying hard not to smile. “I could’ve fathered you several times over.”

“Oh,  _ gross _ ,” Dean wrinkled his nose dramatically. “No, it’s not the same.”

“It’s literally the exact same.”

“Is  _ not _ .”

“Okay, imagine this,” Cas folded his hands over his own chest. “If I’d known you when you were born, held you in my arms, I’d have looked pretty much exactly the way I do now.” He tilted his head to the side. “Maybe a few less wrinkles.”

“But-”

“It’s the same.”

Dean glared down at Cas, but he couldn’t really come up with a good argument. The fact was Cas probably did look about the same when Dean was a baby and, under different circumstances, could have been his father.

Dean looked down at Cas and couldn’t help but wonder what that would’ve been like. Aside from the creepy factor of possibly falling in love with his father figure, Dean thought his childhood would have been vastly improved with someone like Cas taking care of him. And he can secretly admit to himself he still liked the idea of being taken care of.

“Yeah, well,” Dean said grumpily, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. “You should be ashamed of yourself, taking advantage of me the way you have. I’m young and impressionable. An innocent, really.”

Cas snorted and looked up at him, breaking out in full out laughter that vibrated through Dean’s body and increased the strange fluttering in his belly. He frowned and opened his mouth overdramatically, like Cas had offended him.

“Oh, please,” Cas sat up and moved to his hands and knees, placing an arm on either side of Dean’s body as he leaned over to kiss him. “I think you’re far from innocent now, sweetheart. You know exactly what you’re doing to me now, every second of every day. You relish making things difficult for me. You’re a downright tease.”

Dean hid a smile and reached up to slide a hand down Cas’s chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Little liar,” Cas growled, grabbing that wandering hand and pinning it down to the mattress. “Walking around with that scent of yours, my pup in your womb-”

“All things I can’t control.”

“But use to your advantage,” Cas raised a brow.

Dean smiled now and shrugged sweetly. “Can’t blame an Omega for wanting to make his Alpha squirm a little.” He tried to tease him with his free hand, which Cas also grabbed and pinned to the mattress while Dean grinned wickedly, his scent flaring.

Cas shook his head, chuffing. “Keep on, Dean,” he said in a warning tone, “you’ll end up spending the next several years of your life pregnant, if you don’t start being more careful.”

Dean canted his hips up. “Still dunno what you’re talkin’ about, Cas.”

Cas’s eyes glowed in the moonlight as he looked up at him, finally smiling and shaking his head again in disbelief. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.” He let go of Dean’s wrists and backed himself down the bed, watching Dean closely as he settled back between his legs, and Dean sighed softly as he let them fall open around him. “I hope you don’t mind if I enjoy you, too?”

Dean looked desperately over at Rory’s room. The door was closed now, but she did still have a bad habit of waking in the middle of the night to join the two of them in bed.

“But-”

Cas hummed as he pushed Dean’s legs up and licked a quick stripe over his sensitive hole, and Dean stifled a moan. “Yes, you’ll need to be quiet. But you’ve been extra confident tonight, surely you can do that?”

Dean wanted to glare and had a snarky reply all ready, but then Cas did that thing with his tongue and all smartass comments flew out the window. He hissed through his teeth as that wet muscle teased and licked, gently probing his abused hole. It twitched, along with his cock, and Dean had to turn his head and bite at the pillow to keep his moan muffled. 

He heard Cas chuckle smugly and wanted to smack him, or pull his face further between his legs. Decisions, decisions.

“One would think you’d gotten enough earlier,” Cas whispered lowly, swirling the tip of his tongue against Dean’s entrance. “You’re still swollen down here. Must be sensitive, hm?”

Dean jerked when Cas slid his tongue inside, stifling another moan with some effort.

“And yet here you are,” Cas purred. “Legs spread and wanting more.” His tongue circled just inside his hole and Dean clenched and unclenched, his slick gland sluggishly working to provide fresh slick despite its overuse from just hours earlier. “I’ll take it easy on you this time, just focus on you tonight. Tasting you like this may be enough to make me come alone. God, you taste so unbelievably sweet.”

Dean’s breath hitched in his throat when Cas probed him again, slightly deeper this time, spreading the slick with his tongue. He leaned back slightly, pressing wet kisses up Dean’s thigh, and seeing his arousal spread across Cas’s face has his cock kicking with interest.

“Or maybe I’ll claim you. It’s been awhile since I’ve done that,” Cas said nonchalantly, moving his hands down the insides of Dean’s thighs, pushing them apart. He gave a small lick to the tip of Dean’s cock, dipping into the slit to collect the bead of precum there. “You enjoy when I claim you, don’t you, Dean? Love how you look with my cum on you. You look so fucking gorgeous that way.”

Dean nodded enthusiastically, not at all ashamed to admit that he loved being covered in Cas’s seed. Soaking it up so he can smell like his mate, his Alpha, for days. He didn’t even care about the looks he got. Dean was proud to wear his Alpha on his skin. 

“Mm, I think I’ll do that,” Cas murmured, kissing at Dean’s rapidly swelling cock. “Remind everyone who you belong to.” 

Dean was pretty sure no one at the camp needed reminding of that, but he wasn’t going to argue. Alphas were notoriously territorial and possessive, and looked for any excuse to piss or spill their seed on their Omegas. In fact Dean was pretty sure that Cas, while in his wolf form, would mark Dean’s cabin back when he had his own. 

And now, with him carrying Cas’s pup in his belly, Cas was especially territorial. Dean often thinks back to the day he’d found out he was pregnant,  _ of course _ , the first day that Cas had ever left him alone. He’d collapsed in on himself in the small bathroom as Rory slept in the other room, clutching his stomach and hyperventilating. He’d never for a moment wanted his pup out of him- actually, quite the opposite- but all the emotions from before overtook him before he’d had a chance to breathe. 

Rory eventually woke, which was fortunately and unfortunately how her scenting had come in. It was a work of nature, Cas had decided, that her scenting came in in her mother’s time of need. Rory was confused when she woke and felt the tension in the cabin, smelled the fear and anxiety, and she sought out Dean, finding him curled up in the corner of the bathroom with tears streaking his cheeks. She’d gone to get him help, bringing both Missouri and Bobby to his aid.

Cas told him- he’d find out later- that it was like a switch had been flipped. He and Benny had only been at the nearby camp a matter of minutes when he could practically taste the distress, some strange otherwordly connect he had with his mate. He immediately went to Benny and declared it time for them to leave, that they’d have to return when he was sure Dean was well.

Dean was brought back to the present when Cas climbed up his body, nipping at his mating bite. “Where did you go?” Alpha asked, his concern masked only a little. 

“Sorry,” Dean nuzzled his cheek. “Just thinking about you.” 

“Hm,” Cas looked like he didn’t quite believe Dean, but chose not to press the issue. Instead he worked his way back down, paying special attention to Dean’s swell, making the Omega’s stomach flutter again. Dean gasped when Cas took him into his mouth, sinking down until his nose was buried in curly hair. Cas breathed it in deeply, Dean’s scent flooding his senses and making his inner wolf purr. 

Dean clenched his teeth to keep from making any noise and jerked his hips up, pushing his cock deeper. Cas growled around him and held him down, flexing his claws against Dean’s skin. 

Dean arched as Cas set a steady rhythm, sinking down and swallowing around his cock and pulling back off, swirling his tongue around the head. Dean’s orgasm was building embarrassingly fast but he didn’t care, finding it more and more difficult to keep quiet the longer Cas sucked him down. Cas looked up at him through his lashes, his lips stretched around Dean’s girth, and reached up, sliding his hand across his belly. Dean whimpered quietly and laid his hand over Cas’s.

Suddenly Cas pulled off completely and the cool air surrounding his cock made Dean suck in a breath, immediately letting it back out in a  _ whoosh  _ when Cas pushed his thighs up and began lapping at his slicking hole again. He speared his tongue and pressed it inside and Dean moaned louder than he meant to, clamping his own hand down over his mouth and trying to look over at Rory’s bedroom door even when Cas swirled his tongue inside and his eyes tried to roll back in his head.

“You taste so sweet,” Cas said when he pulled away, lips wet with slick. He licked them hungrily, eyes glowing brightly in the dark of the room. Dean could see him perfectly, every curve of his body and line on his face. “You  _ taste _ fertile, like I could breed you again and again, put a whole litter of pups in you.”

Dean whined softly and pushed down toward Cas, who chuckled darkly before diving back in, thoroughly fucking him with his tongue. The sound of Cas eating him out was absolutely obscene, and Dean would’ve been embarrassed if it hadn’t felt so fucking good. He watched as Cas reached down between his own legs and began stroking his cock to hardness, and even in the low light he could see the bead of precum glistening at the end. His mouth watered, desperately wanting to taste him on his tongue, and he licked his lips.

Cas must have noticed his hungry look. The Alpha hummed and slowly retracted his tongue from Dean’s now thoroughly wet hole. He licked his lips as he crawled up Dean’s squirming body, hovering over him and smirking down at Dean. 

“Want something, Omega?” He rolled his hips as he spoke, rubbing his long cock against Dean’s belly. 

“Yes, Alpha,” Dean breathed, shuddering when he felt Cas’s pre-cum smearing across his skin. “Wanna taste you.” 

Cas smiled and shifted further up, his knees on either side of Dean’s head and his cock nudging against plump lips. “Open up, beautiful.” 

Dean obeyed and that thick cock slid inside, stretching his mouth wide. Cum coated his tongue and Dean almost moaned at the taste, working to swallow around the girth as it slid down his throat. 

Cas groaned lowly and braced himself with each hand up against the wall, pushing down Dean's throat and pulling back slowly so that he could suck in air. Dean grabbed the globes of Cas's ass to pull him in further, choking himself before Cas pulled back on his own and reached down to stroke his jaw, then trace the stretch of his lips around him. 

“Easy, beloved,” he said gently, pushing in slowly again and letting Dean swallow around the head. “That's it… nice and easy…what a good boy you are for me.”

Dean's eyes rolled back and he moaned around him, kneading his ass with his fingertips. His own neglected cock throbbed painfully between his legs and he thrust up weakly. 

Cas kept a hand cupped around Dean’s jaw and slowly pulled out, pushing back in just as slowly. His hand followed Dean’s jaw as it retracted then stretched wide again, sighing as Dean sucked eagerly at him. 

“Like that, Omega?”

Dean moaned in response, his hips thrusting up again, getting nothing but air on his pulsing cock. Cas chuckled and moved a little faster, sliding in and out, making sure Dean got plenty of air even if the Omega was too eager to think it necessary to breathe. 

“So good, Dean,” Cas moaned, enraptured by the sight of his cock disappearing into that pretty mouth. “Mm, yeah, you know how to use that tongue of yours. Get every drop.” 

Cas’s eyes glowed brighter and his cock twitched in his mouth, and Dean knew he was close before Cas was even able to warn him. He knew Cas’s body and exactly what the Alpha liked, and he laved his tongue over the vein on the underside of his cock as Cas pulled out, gently scraping his teeth along it as he pushed back inside. Cas cupped Dean’s jaw and gave a choked growl as he came down his throat, and Dean swallowed him down eagerly, the taste alone causing him to slick all over the sheets. 

And Cas just kept coming, as he always did, and Dean swallowed what he could, the leftover spilling out the corners of his lips around Cas’s cock. Cas loved that, and he sucked in a sharp breath as he pulled his spit and cum-slicked cock out, stroking it a few times and emptying a second time on Dean’s face. He rubbed the tip over Dean’s lips and cupped the back of his head, guiding Dean’s mouth back over the head of his cock, giving him just a few teasing inches.

“Fucking look at you, my sweet boy,” he growled lowly as Dean suckled at his cock contentedly. “You have no idea what you do to me, Dean. How crazy you make me.” 

Dean could feel the seed cooling on his face, along his cheeks, a few drops in his eyelashes, but he blinked innocently up at Cas, knowing full well how crazy it drove him. It would be easy for him, were this anyone else, to be humiliated, but Cas never did anything to humiliate him. What’s more, Dean  _ loved  _ pleasing Cas, in any form he could. If Cas wanted to see him covered in his seed, Dean was more than willing to oblige.

He reached up to squeeze at Cas’s knot, watching Cas’s face contort as he came a third time. Most of it landed on Dean’s face, his lips, a few drops making onto his tongue and down his throat. Cas growled, his hips pumping once, sliding his pulsing head back inside Dean’s mouth. Dean caught every drop he could and when Cas finally pulled away, he was a mess of cum. And he loved it. 

“ _ Fuck _ ,” Cas whimpered, running a gentle hand through Dean’s hair. “You look so good, Omega. So pretty, covered in me. You love when I claim you, don’t you…”

Dean licked his lip and purred, the sound loud and vibrating, nodding with a hungry smile. He wasn’t sure if this had always been a part of him, or if it was just Cas, but Dean was insatiable for his Alpha. It was part of being an Omega, he knew. They craved Alpha in every sense of the word. Dean thought there was something more to him, though. His obsession, his hunger, for Cas wasn’t necessarily normal. And he was pretty sure this wasn’t normal bedroom play, but he had no basis of comparison and honestly...who cared? 

Cas was still breathing hard when he moved off of Dean, but he never took his eyes off of him, his eyes still pulsing bright blue in the dark of the bedroom. 

“I’d apologize but honestly? I love seeing you like this. To apologize would be untruthful of me.” Cas leaned down and licked a stripe up Dean’s cheek, then pressed their lips together, slipping his tongue inside and letting Dean suck his release from it. He pulled back again, leaving Dean wanting more, and moved down his body, pressing kisses in his wake. He spent a little extra time on his belly, as he always did now, then dipped lower, taking the head of his cock in his mouth and sucking gently a few times. Dean had barely begun to register the discomfort of the cum drying on his face when Cas pushed his thighs up again and began cleaning the slick from around his hole, and his discomfort was all but forgotten.

He turned his head to the side and muffled a moan in his pillow as Cas swirled his tongue and dipped it inside, pulling more slick from his body with each pass. 

“Tell me, Omega. You know what I want. Let me hear you say it.”

They’d done this so much now, Dean knew exactly what he wanted. He hated to admit that Cas was right, that it was getting easier, but he still had a long way to go. He still felt stupid saying it, and it still made him blush furiously, but it made Cas happy, and he loved pleasing his Alpha.

“I’m beautiful,” he whispered hoarsely. Cas answered with a hum, flattening his tongue and sliding it over his hole.

“Yes, you are,” he agreed wholly, finally spearing his tongue again and pressing it inside the tight muscle.

Dean twitched and sighed brokenly, every part Cas touched over sensitive and making him squirm. His cock hurt, red and swollen, pre-cum leaking onto his stomach. Cas gripped his thighs tightly and slipped a finger alongside his tongue, the tip pressing expertly against Dean’s prostate. That was all it took for Dean. He came with a choked, quiet cry, his cock kicking sluggishly and come spurting across his belly. 

Cas pulled away and licked his lips, eyes half-lidded. “You taste...delicious, Omega. Like honey, warm and soft on the tongue.”

Dean blushed, because he’ll never get used to Cas talking like that. Cas chuckled and crawled off the bed, disappearing into the bathroom for a moment before coming back with a damp washcloth. He sat beside Dean and gently wiped away the mess, both on his face and his stomach, pressing a kiss on the swell once it was clean.

“I’ll get you in the bath tomorrow, but for now you need to sleep.” Cas tossed the washcloth to the floor and laid next to him, wrapping an arm protectively over Dean’s middle. “I should’ve made you go back to bed, instead of all this.” He raised an eyebrow at Dean’s dopey grin. “Are you sated now? Get what you want?”

“Yep.” Dean’s grin widened and he laid his head back on the pillow, closing his eyes. “I trust you are, too?”

“Tonight wasn’t  _ supposed  _ to be about me,” Cas grumped, but his tone was gentle, as was the fingers tickling his stomach, causing it to flutter again. “But yes, of course. I’m always more than, after having you.”

The words sounded far away as Dean drifted, the last thing he registered in his sleep-deprived sex haze was Cas gently pressing his lips to the swell of his stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

Here was the thing about being pregnant.

People tended to be...weird around you. Not necessarily a  _ bad _ weird, but the kind of weird that had them smiling these secret little smiles. Like  _ they _ knew you were pregnant, but thought somehow  _ you  _ didn’t. And they spoke softly, as if speaking any louder than a whisper might rupture the fetus’s eardrums. And they  _ hovered _ , because suddenly you’ve become the single most clumsy person in the entire world and they are just waiting for you to fall so they can catch you. 

And the touching. The  _ touching _ .

Light touches on the arms, the shoulders, the small of the back, or- if they’re really bold- the stomach. 

All of that Dean could almost-  _ almost _ \- handle, if it weren’t for the entire fucking camp doing it. He was used to the majority of them walking on eggshells around him, some avoiding him all together. If one did approach, they were accompanying someone Dean had already decided he liked. Donna, Bobby, Benny, or whomever else. Not that Dean  _ wanted _ people to be nervous about approaching him, but he’d gotten used to things that way and even sorta liked it. He was a loner and didn’t like a lot of attention. 

And now  _ everyone’s _ eyes were on him and it was making his skin itch.

He knew it mostly due to the fact he was the Alpha’s mate, the head Omega, the most important thing to Cas next to his daughter and the pack. Dean knew damn well the other pregnant Omegas weren’t getting this much attention. Of course, at the moment, it was just him and Eileen. But still.

In fact, the only people he could stand to be around- besides ones like Benny, and Bobby, who could honestly care less- were pups.

Pups were curious, sure, and tended to touch, too. But not these feathery light touches that the adults seem to adhere to. No, when a pup puts a hand on your belly, you know it. And they sometimes ask some awkward questions, like how the pup got there in his stomach, but Dean had gotten pretty good at evading- or just outright lying about- the questions.

But still, they flocked to him. Young ones, the majority of which hadn’t even had their scenting come in yet. They’d been interested from the jump, but now that the pup had grown, they were fascinated. It also stood to reason that many of them had never seen a pregnant  _ male  _ Omega before. Regardless, he spent a lot of time with others’ pups when he wasn’t in the cabin- which was often now that Cas was gone more and more. As much as he wanted to be in Eden with Dean and Rory, all of their visits to the nearby camps had been fruitless, and Dean could tell it was wearing Cas down. He wanted- he  _ needed _ \- to find the camp and save those Omegas. Dean knew it bothered Cas more than even he could understand. But then, of course, he supposed it made sense why Cas would rather spend so much time away now: because as much as he wanted to be with Dean and Rory and their growing pup now, he wanted to make sure they were going to be safe in their home by the time the pup was born. This cause was something near and dear to his heart, even more so now, with a new Omega mate who knew all too well what wild Alphas were capable of.

When Cas  _ was _ home, he still did his very best to take care of the two of them, but he was becoming less and less Cas, and more and more  _ Alpha.  _ He was feeling inadequate, and there was nothing Dean could say to make things better.

The following months passed simultaneously fast and slow, taking them well into the crisp heat of Spring. Cas had been gone for three days now, of a projected six, so Dean spent a lot of time in the camp as opposed to locking himself up in their cabin. The cabin was too big and too cold without Cas in it, so he took to the warm comfort of the camp and its many pups.

Rory tried her best to fall into an Alpha role when Cas was gone, though Dean would never tell her it was largely ineffective and mostly just cute. She watched all the pups around Dean like a hawk, warning them if they would get too rowdy, sometimes trying to pull Dean away from the swarm. 

Today, though, Dean had an appointment with Missouri, and as such, Rory was with Charlie and Dean could snuggle all the pups he wanted on his way from breakfast to the medic cabin. Ezra got arguably the most excited to see him these days- especially since Dean was the one who’d rescued him from certain death- with the help of their wolf, of course. 

He got hugs and sloppy kisses on his cheeks. Some pups tried to groom him, brushing fingers through his hair. Some would just pet his face or caress his belly. Some just attached themselves to him and didn’t want to let go. The idea of having multiple pups was just something he and Cas usually mentioned during sex, during Cas’s dirty talk (which had gotten raunchier the more pregnant Dean got, and that he also expected would lessen again once he’d given birth) but suddenly, he could picture them with more.

Eventually he had to detach himself from the pile of pups and he stepped into the medic cabin, Ezra and a shy little girl whose name he still didn’t know trailing behind him. Missouri eyed them then snorted to herself. 

“You’re late,” she huffed at him. Dean just grinned and shrugged, patting the little girl who was now firmly attached to his leg on the head. 

“Got held up,” he said, sitting down carefully on one of the beds. 

“Mm hm,” Missouri didn’t look at all convinced. “You’re in the fourth month now, sugar. I need you to make sure you don’t miss these appointments. The more I see you the more chance I have at detecting any problems.” 

“I haven’t missed a single one,” Dean pouted. 

“No, but being late isn’t helping either,” Missouri smacked him on his head gently. “Now, take off the shirt. I wanna measure you and listen to your heart, poke around a bit.” 

Dean pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it beside him on the table, stroking the little girl’s hair as she sucked her own thumb and peeked out from behind his leg at Missouri. Missouri looked at her then curiously up at Dean as she pulled on a pair of gloves, sitting down in her seat with a huff. She didn’t say anything about the pup as she examined his feet, ankles, and legs, instead asking him about swelling or other pain in the area. 

“No pain. Feet swell sometimes but usually only on the warmer days, and it’s not so bad.”

“Okay, drink plenty of water when it happens. All the time, but especially then,” Missouri prodded at the inside of his thighs, then the outside, spots Dean was incredibly sensitive about just mere months ago. “Don’t spend too much time standing...or sitting, for that matter. Try to even it out. And make sure you-”

“Elevate when they’re swollen,” Dean said robotically, having heard it a million times from her, Cas, and other mothers at the camp. He rubbed the girl’s hair, and she looked up and him and smiled shyly past the thumb in her mouth. “Yes, I know.”

Missouri pursed her lips and stood with a small grunt, putting her stethoscope in her ears and blowing on the end to warm it. She laid a hand on Dean’s shoulder and pressed the end of the stethoscope to his chest, and he took deep breaths automatically, letting them out slowly. The little girl looked up at them with concern, dislodging the thumb from her mouth to reach up and tug on Dean’s arm, her brow furrowed and worry in her eyes.

“It’s okay, baby,” he said gently, brushing a thumb over her soft cheek. “She’s just making sure me and the pup are healthy.”

That seemed to relax her and she popped her thumb back in her mouth, her eyes falling closed as she leaned heavily on Dean’s leg, her arm wrapped around behind his knee. Missouri listened for another minute, then lowered the stethoscope to Dean’s stomach, listening intently. Finally she nodded and let the stethoscope fall back around her neck. 

“Sounds good, nice and strong heartbeats, both of you.” She tapped his knee and gestured for him to lay back, and he obliged. “Okay baby, gonna prod around a little, try to measure the little one. Let me know if anything hurts.”

Dean nodded and the little girl watched with interest as Missouri walked her fingers up the hardness of his belly, finding the top of his uterus and curving her fingers gently into his belly there. She slid the fingers around to one side, then the other, along the outline of his uterus, humming softly. 

“Is everything okay?” Dean asked tentatively, watching her face closely.

“Yeah, baby, everything’s good. Baby’s measuring a bit big, but we already knew that. I’d say you’re actually probably measuring closer to five months, so we’re potentially looking at early labor, just so you can be prepared for that.”

Dean chewed his lip, frowning. “Is that-”

“Nothin’ to worry about, honey. I mean, we don’t have much to go on in the way of pups product of an Alpha shifter, ‘cept for Rory. And Rory measured big, too.” She prodded around his breasts and Dean sucked in a sharp breath, his typically sensitive nipples even more so than usual. “Mhmmm, gonna see a lot of changes here in the coming months. They won’t get too much bigger, but the milk will arrive about two weeks or so before you actually give birth, so that’ll be your first clue. You’ll have to purge the milk a couple times a day until then, or it’ll be awfully uncomfortable.”

Dean grimaced and Missouri chuckled, tapping him gently on the cheek. “It’ll come naturally to you, I promise. And you know, all this stuff Cas already knows a bit about, so he can help.” 

If there was one thing he didn’t like about his pregnancy, it was the milk part. Maybe it was silly of him, being an Omega and all, but he was also a  _ male _ and he just didn’t like his body was growing him breasts. Granted, they were small and didn’t show all that much, but it was enough to make him uncomfortable. Cas assured him it was natural, that all male Omegas go through this, but Dean still felt strange about them. 

“How you handlin’ food?” Missouri brought him out of his thoughts. 

Dean shrugged. “He’s getting pickier, but I can hold most things down. Lot of heartburn, though.” 

“That’s normal,” Missouri nodded. 

“I mostly just want sweets,” Dean admitted a bit sheepishly. “Anything with sugar in it. Which is unfortunate, considering that’s a rarity around here.” 

Missouri chuckled. “I find that very interesting. See, there’s this old myth. If you measure bigger, like you’ve been, then it’s a girl. But if you’re craving sweets, it’s a boy.” 

“I know he’s a boy,” Dean said firmly. “I just know it.”

“Well, far be it for me to argue with you,” she said, patting his thigh. “You know your body better than anyone else.” She moves her hands over his belly thoughtfully. “You’re gonna feel him move soon, if you haven’t already. I mean kicks, not just those little flutters you say you feel.”

“He kicked the first time last night,” Dean said a little sadly. Cas hadn’t been there to feel it with him, and Rory had been asleep. 

“Hm,” Missouri looked down at the little girl, who had moved her small hand expectantly to Dean’s belly. “Baby, why don’t give me and mama bear here a sec?” 

The girl sighed and nodded, then shuffled off with Ezra. Once they were out of sight, Missouri lowered her voice. 

“Another thing you’re gonna notice,” she said, “is an increase in your libido. It’s just a phase, but the fourth month tends to be...well, to put it bluntly, the horny month.” 

Dean snorted. “Just the fourth month? This entire pregnancy I’ve been ready to crawl out of my skin, when Cas is around, when he isn’t. It’s almost worse than being in heat.” He shuffled uncomfortably in his seat, just the thought of Cas mounting him starting to make him sweat. “And Cas-”

“He gettin’ rough with you?” Missouri snapped quickly, setting her jaw and glaring up at him.

“What? N-no. Well, I mean, yes, kind of, but he’s not hurting me.” Dean blushed and laid a hand on his bump, rubbing it gently. “I actually...really enjoy it. And he’s really careful with the pup. He’s different than I’ve ever seen him before, though. Wilder. I guess I’m just...wondering if that’s kind of normal behavior.”

“Is he his usual self when you’re not mating?”

“Mostly, yeah. A little more on edge, protective. He’s stressed, I can tell, with the whole Omega ring ordeal. But basically the same as always.”

Missouri hummed and sat back in her chair. “He runnin’ more often?”

Dean didn’t have to ask to know she meant shifting. He chewed his lip and nodded. “Yeah, I’d imagine so, with all the trips he’s been making...since his senses are heightened that way.”

“You ever afraid of him?”

“No,” Dean said definitively. “Never.”

Missouri eyed him for a moment then planted her feet and leaned forward in her chair, laying her palms against Dean’s belly and closing her eyes. Dean braced his hands behind him and leaned back to give her better access. 

“Well,” she started slowly, finally opening her eyes again and looking up at him, gently rubbing her plump hands over his belly. “The easy answer to your question is yes, Alphas do get much more protective over their Omegas when they’re with pup. And with Cas shifting more often, that’s gonna make things more intense, too. The more time he spends that way, the harder it is to deny those urges.” She let her hands fall to her thighs, her shoulders rising and falling with a heavy sigh. “What kinds of things he doin’?”

Dean licked his lips nervously and cleared his throat, looking away. “Um…”

“You said wilder. So he’s more brazen, protective. But rougher in terms of intercourse?”

Dean blushed furiously. “Well...yes. I trust him, with everything I have, but...sometimes I’m afraid he’s losing control of himself. He’s obsessed with me like this, tells me all the time.”

“All completely normal,” Missouri assured him, shaking her head slowly. “As you know, Cas is very careful to keep his nature in check. But now that he has you, that you’re carrying his pup, he’s got a little leeway to play with there, because you’re his mate, and he’s not trying to prove anything. He doesn’t have to worry about chasing you off. It’s actually a good thing, because it means he trusts you, and that he knows you trust him.” She paused, laying a hand on his cheek and looking him in the eye. “He marking on you?”

Dean blushed again and she patted his cheek, but never cracked a smile. It made the conversation easier. “That’s normal too. You can always tell him to stop, if you want, and I’m sure he will. But that’s something that Alphas will do to their pregnant Omegas, and it’s almost pure instinct. He’s just flirting with that edge of humanity.” She moved to get up but paused, looking back up at him. “He’s never tried to shift to mate, has he?”

Dean wrinkled his nose and tilted his head. “What? No!”

“Ah, good.” Missouri got up with another small grunt and handed him his shirt. “Not that I’m well-experienced with true Alphas aside from him, but I hear that’s how you actually get full litters. Or rather, that’s how a  _ shifter _ can get a  _ non-shifting _ Omega pregnant with multiples. That, or two shifters mating.” She shrugged indifferently. “But I wouldn’t know much more than what the lore says.”

Dean didn’t think he could possibly blush any redder, his face heating up so much it felt almost feverish. To shift while mating...he hadn’t thought of it. Maybe Cas had, though. Maybe Cas  _ wanted _ to.

“Don’t think too much about it,” Missouri patted his knee. “It may seem odd to us, but for him?” She shrugged. “Cas is a mystery, as far as my limited knowledge on shifters go. Is he a human who can change into a wolf? Or a wolf that can change into a human? It’s a thin line, sugar, but two very different things. He has a whole set of instincts that we can’t possibly understand.” 

Dean nodded mutely and rubbed absently at his belly. He’s always thought of the wolf and Cas as separate beings, connected but different. Now he was thinking that might be wrong. If he was mated to the human, then he was mated to the wolf, too. 

Dean blinked up at Missouri. “I am  _ not _ having a litter.” 

She barked a laugh, grinning widely. “That would be pretty tough on your body. It hasn’t happened much, so I hear, but it’s rough for a non-shifter. Anyway, hun, I doubt you have to worry about that. You still got baby number one to worry about.” 

Dean sighed and nodded, looking down at his big- or at least it felt that way to him- belly. He already had stretch marks forming, but what were a few more scars? He was covered them. And these would be from something happy, something good. 

“Hey, Missouri, I know we have awhile, but I was just wondering…” Dean chewed his lip as he looked down at his stomach. “The birth-”

“Oh, gracious, hon,” Missouri slapped her forehead and laid a hand on his shoulder. “I didn’t even consider...okay.” She let out a breath as she sat back down. “I’m going to assume, then, that your birthing canal hasn’t starting forming yet. It usually won’t until around the sixth month or so-”

“Birthing canal?” Dean frowned and tilted his head, opening and closing his mouth a few times trying to make sense of it. “But...but I thought I would just...um…”

“No, no, baby. Male Omegas are a bit different. The birthing canal is essentially an opening that’ll form closer til time for you to give birth, under your testicles and about an inch back. It’ll start small at first and grow bigger as you get closer, to try to make laboring as quick and easy as possible. Now, when it starts forming, it may ache, but it’s just where the skin is stretching and your body is preparing for such a massive change. I’ll have some exercises and such you can do closer ‘til time to help with the stretching and try to prevent a lot of tearing.” 

Dean’s mouth went dry and he swallowed. “Tearing?”

Missouri chuckled and patted him on the knee. “Trust me, baby, you ain’t gonna be worried about that when the time comes.”

“Well, that’s comforting,” Dean mumbled, scrubbing a hand down his face. “So essentially you’ve just told me I’m gonna have my very own vagina and it’s going to tear when I give birth.”

Missouri tilted her head at him, narrowing her eyes. “You never heard how females give birth?”

Dean shrugged. “Just gives me a new appreciation, I guess.”

“Well if it makes you feel any better, the canal is temporary,” she shrugged. “It closes up fairly quickly after the pup is born, heals just like a deep cut. It’s just to get the pup out of you.” 

Dean breathed a small sigh of relief. 

“Anyway,” Missouri waved a hand, “I also know you’re not looking forward to breastfeeding- don’t give me that look- but it’s crucial for the first couple of months. I also think you’ll come to love the bond it will create between you and the pup. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. All new mothers breastfeed around here.”

Dean bit back a grumble, earning a smack on his leg for it anyway. 

“Alright, baby,” Missouri sighed and stood up. “I think we’re good for today. Keep me posted, though. If anything weird comes up, any weird pains, come see me.” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Dean smiled and with her help stood back up, pulling his shirt back over his head. He was met at the door by his usual gaggle of pups, who all immediately surrounded him as he began walking towards his cabin. If Rory had been there she would’ve shooed them all away. 

The pups began to disperse as they passed their respective cabins and their mothers called them, smiling and waving at Dean. He stopped briefly at the bottom of the hill and looked up, sighing heavily at the climb, the idea of it already making him tired. 

“Dean!”

He recognized Eileen’s voice before he even turned and saw her waddling towards him with a hand under her belly, her long wavy dark hair cascading down her shoulders. She gave him a genuine wide smile and a wave, and he made his way to her so she didn't have to walk the whole way. She was only a little over five months pregnant herself, and by the look of her, she'd have a large pup too.

“How you feelin’, Eileen?”

“Good,” she nodded, smile never wavering. “Well, tired, and sore, but mostly good. How did your appointment go?”

“It was… interesting,” he chuckled. “Learned some stuff I didn't know. And some stuff I  _ wish _ I didn't know. I think I owe Cas a nice beatdown after this.”

“I've been so terrible some days that I actually feel a little bad for Sam,” Eileen admitted. “He's been a great sport, though. He's so excited.”

“Yeah…” Dean said slowly, scratching his cheek. “Yeah, I'll bet.”

“Hey, listen… about Sam,” Eileen started cautiously, and Dean stiffened slightly, raising his eyebrows. “I've been meaning to talk to you...about him. He'd be angry that I talked to you without asking him, but… would you be able to talk with me before he comes in this weekend? Privately?”

Dean frowned, not really interested in coming between the Omega and her mate, but Eileen had always been very kind to him. True, their interactions were sparse now and had been nonexistent before, but during the beginnings of his pregnancy she’d been the one to ease him into all the changes he was going to go through. 

“...I guess that’d be okay,” Dean finally said reluctantly. He rubbed at his belly, already regretting his decision.

Eileen smiled gently. “Great. Maybe tomorrow then? Around lunch time? Food tends to make these kinds of things less uncomfortable.”

Dean bit his lip and nodded, wishing not for the first time Cas was here. The Alpha had been very patient with Dean as far as the Sam situation went. Dean just wasn’t sure if he ever wanted to know if the Alpha was his brother or not. It was a can of worms waiting to open.

Eileen hesitated, then reached out and gently touched his arm. “Sam aside, I would like to get to know you better, Dean. Maybe even help you through all this pregnancy stuff. It’s easier when there’s someone else to talk to about it, someone going through the same thing.” She squeezed his arm and let her hand drop. Eileen nodded and smiled before turning to waddle back to her cabin, Dean watching her the whole way.

Dean laid in their bed that night- much too large for him without Cas- stroking his stomach with one hand and Rory’s hair with the other. Rory was usually pretty good about sleeping in her own room, and in fact had only recently insisted on trying to sleep with the two of them. He and Cas both recognized it as her attempt at protecting Dean and the unborn pup, whether Rory necessarily realized it or not, but even so, Cas would always take her back to her own bed to sleep. Tonight, Dean had told her, would be their little secret. Rory wanted to be with him and Dean felt like he needed someone there too, old anxiety he’d fought against for so long creeping its way back into his gut with the absence of Cas, the pregnancy, Sam, and whatever was going on with the Omegas out in the woods. 

Rory murmured something unintelligible in her sleep and rolled to face Dean, her head tucked into the crook of his arm and one of her hands automatically gravitating to his stomach. It was barely there a minute when the pup kicked gently against it, and Dean was simultaneously heartwarmed by the action and sad that Rory missed it again. The pup was just as enigmatic as Castiel, he’d decided, keeping Dean up with his fluttering and moving about at odd hours of the night. He’d come to recognize Dean’s voice, though, and Rory’s, and he was especially active when Cas was around, although it was hard to tell if it was his voice or just his very presence that caused it.

He vaguely wondered if Cas’s absence had anything to do with the pup’s activity tonight, since he hadn’t been able to sleep and it was long after he’d laid down for the night. Rory read a little in her mom’s journal before she joined him in bed, and she was largely untalkative, which was rare for her. The journal was still something none of them talked much about, except the rare occasion that Rory would come to Dean and ask him questions, to which of course he had no answers. He’d tried to convince Cas that it was something he needed to broach with Rory himself, but it was clear by his evasion it wasn’t something he was prepared for just yet. Dean wondered what Rory could’ve read about tonight that had her so introspective, but he’d been afraid to bring it up without Cas there in case it wasn’t something he could help her with.

The pup gave a strong kick and Dean rubbed over the area of his stomach he seemed to be currently occupying, trying to imagine what Cas was doing at that moment and if, ridiculously, it had any bearing on how the pup responded. For all he knew, the pup of a true shifter could have some freaky wolfy connection to its father from inside the womb. In any case, he didn’t care how ridiculous it sounded- he kind of liked the idea. It made him feel connected to Cas even when he wasn’t around. 

“Papa will be home soon,” Dean murmured softly, rubbing his hand across his belly. The pup gave another kick and he smiled. “Troublemaker already, hm? Maybe you’re restless...tryin’ to get out. Well, we got a few more months, baby. No rush...make sure we get it right. You know, 10 fingers and 10 toes.”

Dean shifted carefully so as not to wake Rory. He liked talking to his pup, even while knowing the little thing couldn’t possibly understand a word he was saying. Missouri said it was more about sounds and vibrations, lets the baby know who you are. Or something. For Dean it was a comfort thing. A way to connect, when it was just him and his growing pup. And if it really did help the pup learn his voice, well that was just a bonus.

A loud howl rang out over the camp, off in the distance. Not Cas- Dean could distinguish his distinct howl from others now- but likely just a regular wolf. He found himself wondering if each and every howl he heard out in the wilderness was another shifter, especially since Cas had told him there were likely more out there. Logic told him they wouldn’t be anywhere near here, because Cas patrols the territory religiously, even tirelessly so now, ever since what happened. 

Still, the sound of a wolf’s howl was another comfort now, weirdly, whether it belonged to a shifter or not. The sound seemed to help settle the pup, too, a sense of calm that wasn’t his own radiating from his middle. 

He looked down at Rory, stroking some of her wild red hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. She looked so much older than she had when he’d met Cas, even when in reality it was little more than seven or so months prior. But she had gotten a little taller, her face a little thinner, and especially when she was sleeping (and not talking) she reminded him a lot of her mother. He was convinced she’d be a spitting image when she was older, and he and Cas would have their hands full keeping her out of trouble. 

Ysabella was making regular appearances in his dreams now, and he didn’t know if it was due to the pregnancy or- well, no, he was pretty sure it was due to the pregnancy. She’d been on his mind a lot as the days passed, as he grew larger and closer to his due date. The previous night, Dean dreamed of her as a teenager, no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, playing with a small black dog. And...that was it. No context, she didn’t speak, she never even looked at Dean. It was more like he was a concept, there but not there, watching her laugh and play with this little black dog that pawed at her legs and nipped at her ankles.

He’d woken up to the pup kicking him for the first time that night.

Dean wasn’t sure what it all meant, if anything. If Ysabella was trying to show him something or if his pregnancy brain (which was apparently a thing) was creating all these weird images. Still, he did find himself wondering if Ysabella would be happy that he had a pup coming. Or maybe she would be scared that the same thing that happened to her would happen to him, and that Cas will be left alone again.

Dean could admit to himself, at night when there was no one watching, that he was a little afraid. He didn’t want Cas to be alone again. And he foolishly thought that maybe this was some shifter curse, because Cas never mentioned his mom. Maybe Cas’s dad lost his Omega, too.

Dean scrubbed at his face and decided he really needed to fall asleep now. He always thought of the most morbid shit in the middle of the night, especially when Cas wasn’t here. Which was a lot lately.

Dean sighed and curled himself around both his pups, laying a palm across his belly and the other wrapped around Rory. He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep, though it would be hours before any sleep came.

\----

Morning came all too early, and while Dean was thankful that Rory let him sleep since he didn’t start drifting until light started coming in their window, it meant it was that much closer til time to meet with Eileen. He didn’t have the heart to send Rory away again, especially since she just seemed to want to be close to him, so he agreed to let her stay as long as she could give the two of them privacy for about an hour. Dean hoped that’s all it would take for the two of them to talk things out, and despite knowing differently in his gut, he hoped that the conversation she wanted to have involving Sam wasn’t the same one he and Cas had been having.

And on top of that, Cas still wasn’t due back for two more days, and Dean wasn’t sure how he’d handle this conversation and anything that happened subsequently without him. At least Sam wouldn’t be back at the camp until Cas brought him back the same day, so Dean wouldn’t be forced to face him alone.

Rory was quiet in bed with him, pulling a thread of the quilt between her fingers, her head laying on Dean’s chest as she laid the opposite direction on the bed, feet hanging off the side. It wasn’t until Dean began to stir that she sat up and watched him carefully.

“Mornin’, mama,” she said sweetly, stiffening slightly as Dean pushed himself up with a grunt, letting his hands fall to rest on his thighs. 

“Mornin’, baby,” he said hoarsely, coughing once to clear his throat. “How’d you sleep?”

She shrugged and looked down at the thread in her hands. “Mostly okay.”

Dean blinked, watching her carefully, and decided he’d have to say something. He couldn’t wait for Cas on this anymore. And, damn it, he couldn’t help the ounce of bitterness he felt towards his Alpha. If Cas would just  _ be here _ , they could handle this together.

Dean huffed and set aside his personal feelings. He nudged Rory into his lap, as much as he could with his belly, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You wanna tell me what’s going on?” he asked gently, stroking her hair.

She shrugged again and let the thread fall, laying her head on his stomach. “You think he hears everything?” she asked, clearly evading Dean’s question.

“Yes,” Dean licked his lips. “I think he’s pretty in tune. He knows, just as well as I do, that there’s something you’re not telling me.”

She was silent for a while, bringing both her hands up to rest on his belly beside her head, one rubbing gently. 

“I’m scared,” she said finally, and Dean waited, but she didn’t elaborate.

He sighed and rubbed the top of her head, then pulled her away from his belly so he could look down at her. She looked up at him with watery eyes, chewing her lip.

“Why, Rory?”

“Lots of things.”

“You’re gonna have to be a little more specific,” Dean chuckled, trying to get her to relax, but the effort was fruitless. He let out a heavy breath through his nose and tilted her chin up, brushing the pad of his thumb over her cheek. “You can tell me.”

“Things feel weird,” she frowned. “Everything smells really strong and it’s all jumbled up and it’s confusing.”

“Well, the scenting is gonna take some getting used to-”

“I don’t want you to die, mama,” she said suddenly, and the first tear finally fell, her bottom lip struggling not to tremble. Dean was quick to hide his own shock though, brushing the tear off her cheek and giving her a sad smile, shaking his head.

“Don’t you worry about that, baby. Missouri said-”

“Missouri said it before, too.” Rory looked down and took a deep, shaky breath. “And it-” she swallowed hard, more tears falling. “And Papa isn’t the same. He always smells weird, like almost sad but it’s not the same smell. But he says he’s fine, and I know he’s not fine now, but he tells me I’m wrong.”

“Papa is…” Dean paused and now he’s the one chewing on his lip. “He’s just really stressed out right now. He’s gone a lot, and it bothers him just as much as it bothers us.”

“Then why can’t he just stay?” She wiped furiously at her watery eyes.

“He’s Alpha,” Dean sighed, taking her hands in his to still them. “He has to take care of this pack, too. It’s not just about you and me. That means he sometimes has to spend time away from us.”

“But he’s  _ always _ gone now,” Rory’s lip trembled again. “And every time he comes back, he smells more weird and I know he’s not fine. I know he’s scared, too. He thinks we’re gonna lose you and I won’t have a mama again, and-”

Dean squished her into his arms, holding her tight, her tears soaking through his shirt. He rocked her back and forth, stroking her hair, whispering whatever came to mind. That he loved her, that everything would be fine, that he planned on sticking around for a very long time. All things that were true, but that he had no power to back up. The truth was he had no idea what would happen. He was positive Ysabella had thought all the same things, because her pregnancy had been healthy, too. Until it suddenly wasn’t. The future would bring them whatever it brought them, and there was nothing either of them could do about it.

It was easy to be angry with Cas, to blame him for Rory’s breakdown, to curse him for not being there with them. Logically he knew Cas was where he needed to be, despite the fact that he’d much rather spend his days with him. But Rory was right, he  _ was  _ different, he was distracted and detached and sometimes almost cold. Dean told himself not to take it personally at first, but it was getting hard not to, especially when it was bad enough that their daughter picked up on it. He hated that some of her first few months scenting were during everything they had going on. She didn’t deserve to smell anything but contentedness and love coming from her father, and instead she was getting the waves of bitterness that were so strong in the air the night Cas was afraid he’d hurt him. 

Cas loved him, loved Rory, with everything in him; of that Dean had no doubt. He  _ was  _ afraid, however, that between his behavior and the new pup, Rory would take his distance, both physically and mentally, as apathy. 

And the journal felt like such a small thing, all considered, but Dean had told Cas from the beginning that he needed to be the one to read it with her, to work through his own feelings of loss as Rory worked through hers. But Cas still refused, without so much as an explanation, letting Rory get to know her mother all by herself. And when the time came that she read the last entry in the journal, the breakdown would be much worse than this. Dean was her mother now, and he loved her like his own, but the aftermath of that was not going to be something he could rightfully help her with. He wouldn’t understand the way Cas would, not to mention the fact that Cas  _ needed _ to do this. Dean had talked to Garth about it, who had agreed with him wholeheartedly. Cas saw him regularly and spoke with him about everything, but that was still an area he stalled in.

Dean rocked Rory until her tears dried and she stopped shaking, his chin rested on the top of her head. Even when she seemed better he didn’t want to let go, and she seemed perfectly okay with being the center of his attentions for the moment.

After a very long while, they both untangled themselves and got dressed. Dean decided to make breakfast for them this morning, as they both weren’t feeling up to seeing anyone at the moment. They ate in some silence, Rory occasionally asking things about the visit with Missouri yesterday. The positive answers didn’t seem to put Rory anymore at ease, though, and Dean figured nothing would until whatever happened...happened. 

“Want to go on my walk with me?” Dean asked her after he’d cleaned up the kitchen. Missouri insisted he take regular walks, to keep him strong and his body active. She said the biggest mistake Omegas make is putting themselves on bed rest. 

Rory nodded, and he helped her slip on a lightweight cardigan to protect her from the chill in the air. They stepped outside and he closed the door behind them, and Rory took a few steps forward, raising her head and scenting the air with her eyes closed. 

“I can’t smell him anymore,” she said sadly, turning back to Dean. “Usually I can at least still smell him, but it’s gone.”

Dean took a deep breath, closing his eyes and letting his tongue come to rest at the top of his mouth as he let the crisp air travel to his vomeronasal organ. The scent was faint, but it was still undoubtedly Cas, and despite his current bitterness he smiled, opening his eyes to look back down at her. 

“It’s still here. Your scenting is still just a little too underdeveloped to pick up on older scents. Give it time.” He reached down and took her hand, and she led him toward the path he typically took on his walks each day. New green leaves were just beginning to grow back in on the trees, the brown grass starting to turn as well. It’s not long into their walk that they come across Dean and Cas’s spot- or rather, his and his wolf’s spot- and Rory began to dance excitedly, hopping up and down on her tiptoes. 

“This smells like you, mama! I can smell it!”

Dean chuckled. “Well, I do come out here a lot. Listen.” She did, tilting her head to the side, causing Dean’s heart to clench as she reminded him of his Alpha. “It’s so quiet, so peaceful. Nice, isn’t it?”

Rory nodded and slipped her hand from his grip to hop on top of a tree stump. “Do you come out here with papa?” She asked, balancing on one foot. 

“Used to,” Dean said, watching a bit uneasily as Rory hopped to her other foot. It would be his luck that the girl fell and broke an ankle. “When he had more time. He hasn’t been out here for a while.” 

“What do you do out here?” 

Dean shrugged and leaned up against his tree. “Used to be a way for me to get away from everyone,” he scratched at a cheek. “I just wasn’t used to the pack life. Sometimes it got overwhelming. So I came out here to be alone.” 

Rory tilted her head. “And now?” 

“Now...I guess I just like it. Peaceful. And it’s something that’s mine. No one else really comes out here unless it’s to hunt.” 

Dean held his breath as she hopped down off the stump, opting to sit on the ground below it and look straight up at the tall trees, squinting against the sun. “It _ is _ quiet. A lot quieter than the camp.”

“Yes.”

“Mama, do you think papa could take us with him next time he goes somewhere?”

Dean sighed and pushed himself off the tree, walking slowly over to Rory, who was still pointedly looking up at the treetops. He patted her head lovingly and sat down, and she waited patiently before re-adjusting herself to lean back against him. He wrapped his arms around her middle and kissed her forehead, and she looked up past him at the sky, wiggling her feet.

“I don’t think he’d go for that, baby,” Dean said gently, rocking the two of them again. 

“Why not?”

Dean took a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly, looking up at the sky along with Rory as he answered. “I know you don’t really understand what your papa is doing, but he’s helping people. People like your mom, like me. He’s trying to save them, so they can be happy like all of us here.”

“But why can’t we go help people too?”

“Because it’s dangerous and your papa would never put you and I in danger.”

Rory scrunched up her face into an exaggerated frown, focusing her eyes on Dean’s face. “But if it’s dangerous for me and you, isn’t it dangerous for him too?”

There wasn’t really a good way around the question without downright lying. Dean took another breath, puffing out his cheeks with his exhale. “Uncle Benny is there to help save your papa, should he need it.”

Rory stared at him disbelievingly. “That means yes.”

Dean forced a small smile and kissed her forehead, then poked her on the nose. “Stop gettin’ so smart on me.” She rolled her eyes but smiled softly, reaching up to lay her hands on Dean’s forearms. “Yes, it’s dangerous for him too. But he’d rather go out and put himself at risk than danger everyone at this camp, including us. Your papa is a hero.”

She huffed. “He has a family. He should be here with us.”

“The pack is your family too.”

“And he’s not here with them, either.”

Dean was finding it harder and harder to argue, as she was making some good points. Of course, things weren’t as black and white as she saw them, but Dean often found himself wanting to be a little bit more naive about the gray area. “We can’t afford to think like that, baby.”

“How are we supposed to think about it then?” 

Dean sighed and dipped his head, pressing his forehead against hers. “We are supposed to realize that he has responsibilities outside of us, outside of these gates. And that even though it’s hard, we have to accept the fact that other people might sometimes need him more than we do.” He pulled back and stroked her cheek with his thumb. “When I came here, I was in bad shape. He helped me heal and get better. There are others out there like me, who need help. And most aren’t willing to help them, or aren’t able. Your papa is both willing and able, so he does.” 

Rory frowned thoughtfully. “Why do they need help?”

Dean looked away and shook his head. “You’re a little too young, baby. One day we will have a talk about all of...that. But for now, just know that they aren’t in good places. Papa is trying to get them out.” 

“So when he gets them out,” Rory said slowly. “He’ll come back home.”

Dean nodded. “Yes. He won’t be gone as much. Camp might be a little full, though.” 

She perked a little at that. “With new kids to play with?”

Dean chuckled. “Maybe.”

She settled back into his lap and looked up at the sky again. “That would be nice.”

They made small talk for the next hour or so, until the sun was high in the sky, and Dean figured it was probably time to head back and prepare for Eileen’s visit. Anxiety began to set in again and Rory must have sensed it, because she wordlessly took his hand when they rose and started to head back toward the cabin. She talked relentlessly to keep his mind off his thoughts, which Dean appreciated, telling him all about her most recent sleepover with Max and Alicia Banes and how they’d told her all about how much time Benny was spending there with their mother, Tascha because they were ‘best friends’.

“What do you think the pup will look like, mama?” she asked randomly, when they were close enough to the cabin that they could see it poking through the trees. 

Dean hummed, giving her hand a squeeze. “I dunno. Guess I’ve never really thought much about it.” He looked down at her. “What do you think?”

She frowned, deep in thought, and tilted her head to the side. “I think he’ll look like me.”

Dean laughed. Of course, he guessed it wasn’t downright  _ impossible  _ for the pup to have bright red hair like Rory’s. Considering how it seemed anything in his life seemed possible anymore, it was as good a chance as any, but it was highly unlikely. Still, the idea excited Rory, so he’d let her have it.

“You do, do you?” Dean looked back up as they emerged from the trees, the people down at the camp looking small and moving about leisurely. “Maybe he will.”

“But what do  _ you  _ think?”

“Like papa,” Dean said softly as they climbed up the porch. “I think he’s gonna look like papa.”

“Not like you?” Rory asked, following him through the front door.

Dean shrugged. “Maybe, but pups usually take after the Alpha more. Then again, you look like your mom, so I guess we won’t know until he’s born.”

“What are babies like?” Rory blinked up at him curiously as he closed the door.

“I have no idea,” Dean chuckled, reaching down to ruffle her hair. “I’ve never been around babies. If I had to guess, loud with weird smells...but cute when they’re asleep.”

Rory scrunched up her nose. “Oh.”

Dean smiled and slowly lowered himself onto the futon. He sighed down at his swollen ankles. He supposed he’d have to get used to that. With Rory’s help, he propped his feet up, feeling kinda silly about the whole thing. It was amazing how limited he already was, just four months in. He couldn’t imagine how big he’d be in another few months.

“Oh,” Dean gasped when he felt a kick, laying his palm across his belly. “Rory, come here.”

She hopped up on the futon and allowed Dean to place her hand next to his. They waited a few seconds, then another kick came. He grinned as she gasped and planted her other hand on him, leaning in close.

“Does it hurt?” she asked incredulously, eyebrows knit together, looking up at him in wonder when the sound of her voice caused him to kick again.

“Nah,” Dean poked out his bottom lip and shook his head. “Feels kinda weird, a little uncomfortable, but it doesn’t hurt.”

The answer seemed to appease her and she grinned then, rubbing a hand gently over his belly and patting softly. “I think he likes me.”

“And how could he not?” Dean asked, poking her on the nose. “I imagine you two will grow up pretty close. You’ll be his protector, his best friend, at times his worst enemy…” she hung her mouth open and looked up at him, appalled. “I’m just sayin’. Surely you’ve seen Max and Alicia fight.”

“Oh yeah, they fight  _ alll the time _ ,” she drawled out. “But they never really get all that mad. And they still do everything together.”

Dean groaned as he leaned back, stretching his legs. “It’ll be good, for the two of you to grow up together. You’re gonna be a great big sister.”

Rory tilted her head, a hand rubbing Dean’s belly as she waited patiently for another kick. “I don’t know how to be a big sister.”

Dean waved his head. “You think I knew how to be a mom? You’ll learn as you go.”

She smiled at him. “Are you learning as you go, mama?”

“Every day,” Dean nodded, smiling back. “Papa learns, too. There’s no ‘how to’ on this stuff.”

“I think you’re doing pretty good,” Rory said with a nod.

Dean laughed and rubbed at his belly. “Oh yeah? Well, good to know.”

The pup kicked another time or two before calming, and Rory waited around with her hands on Dean’s belly for probably ten minutes after, just in case. Dean finally told her that the pup was probably sleeping, and he’d let her know if he started moving again, so she reluctantly pried away and excused herself to her room. Through the crack in the door Dean watched her sit down at her desk and start drawing, and he hummed contentedly, looking forward to spending the next half hour or so relaxing until Eileen got there. 

He’d just begun to doze when a knock on the door jostled him from his reverie, and he heard Rory’s footsteps before he saw her emerge from her room, practically skipping to the door.

“I got it!” she announced, and she was pulling open the door before Dean could object, much less unstick himself from the futon.

“Hi, Rory,” Eileen said warmly, leaning down as much as she could toward the girl. “How are you?”

“I’m good. I’m drawing a picture in my room, wanna see?” She took Eileen’s hand and began trying to lead her into the bedroom, but Dean intervened as he pushed himself up off the futon.

“Rory,” he said, a bit of an edge to his tone. He shook his head at her, and she pressed her lips together and sighed, but let go of Eileen’s hand.

“I’ll show you another time,” she said almost sadly. “Ooh! Maybe when Papa brings Sam this weekend, I can come down and show you some of them!”

Dean sighed and started to object, but Eileen gave her a genuine smile.

“I would really love that, Rory. I think Sam would, too.”

Rory grinned, gave Dean a hug and a kiss on the belly, then slipped quietly into her room. She closed the door, and Dean was left alone with Eileen. He tried not to tense, but it was automatic. It wasn’t her fault, but just the fact that she was in any way associated with Sam made him uneasy. 

He scooted down the futon to give her room to sit, watching as she somewhat awkwardly lowered herself.

“Five months?” Dean asked, even though he already knew the answer. Anything to break the uncomfortable atmosphere.

She smiled and nodded. “Missouri says I’m measuring a little big, though. She thinks it might be a girl.”

“Mine’s a boy,” Dean said a-matter-of-factly, speaking slowly so Eileen could easily read his lips. Eileen blinked.

“You know for sure?”

Dean looked down at his belly then back up, nodding. “Yeah. Definitely a boy.”

“Was hoping for a boy myself,” Eileen admitted with a little shrug. “Girls are complicated. All those emotions. Boys are simple. Eat and play.” She nodded towards Rory’s door. “Your little girl might be the exception, though. She’s more level headed than most adults.”

“She’s  _ smarter _ than most adults,” Dean mumbled. “It’s freaky.”

“Well, Castiel is no dummy,” she shrugged again. “Between you and him raising her, it’s no surprise that she’s so brilliant.”

Dean shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to compliments, even with therapy and Cas’s constant reassurances. An awkward silence stretched between them, and Eileen readjusted herself on the futon, turning slightly to face Dean better. She clasped her hands together over her belly and fidgeted her thumbs, then finally sighed and looked up at Dean.

“I get the feeling you know why I came.”

Dean licked his lips nervously and nodded slowly. “I think I have a pretty good idea.”

“Sam asked me not to, for the record. Said he wanted to give it some time, figure things out for himself before he talked to you. But…” she chewed her lip, “if...if it’s true, I think it’s important to address it...before the pups are born. Especially since I’ll be leaving shortly after.”

Dean looked at her closely, muscles all bunched up and making his shoulders ache. He rubbed at his belly, the gesture habitual and offering some comfort, but the pup seemed to sense he was nervous. He was still, not a single kick to be felt.

“I don’t mean this to sound, um...rude,” Dean cleared his throat. “But is this...really your business?”

Eileen bit her lip and looked down with a small shrug. “I just think that if you and Sam really are...related, then there’s no reason our families should be broken up. There’s so much of that already. A lot of the pups in this camp are lucky to have just one parent. We have the chance to not only give our pups two parents, but extended family as well. Aunts, uncles, cousins...I think it would be good for everyone.”

“Maybe he doesn’t want me as a brother,” Dean murmured, looking down at himself. “My dad didn’t want me as a son.”

“Sam’s not like that,” Eileen said gently. 

“Might not even be related,” Dean shrugged.

“True,” she nodded. “But...from what he’s told me...I think there’s a good chance.”

“He’s talked to you about this,” Dean raised a brow. 

Eileen hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Bits and pieces. To tell you the truth, I think he wants to reach out to you. He’s just afraid to. He knows his presence makes you uncomfortable, makes most of the Omegas here uncomfortable. He doesn’t want to cross any lines.”

“That’s wise of him,” Dean murmured.

“He’s a good person, Dean,” Eileen assured him. “I understand your hesitation- believe me, I do- but Sam would never hurt anyone.” Dean looked down at his belly and raised his eyebrows disbelievingly, and Eileen sighed. “Look, I know you don’t know Sam, and you barely know me. I only know what little bit Sam’s told me about his family, which isn’t a lot. But I do know that the two of you should at least discuss it, regardless of what you two decide to do about it, if it is true. He could really use someone else in his life. And, pardon me if I’m being too forward, but I think you could, too.”

Dean couldn’t really argue with that, and the realization that being at the camp and part of the pack had made him crave socialization was a little frightening, to say the least. He looked back up at her slowly, eyes searching her face.

“When did he first say something to you?”

“The first time he ever met you,” she said immediately, nodding slightly as she spoke. “He came back into the cabin, and I was in the middle of my heat, my insides on fire, sweating through my sheets, and all he could talk about was how he’d just met someone who smelled like his mom.”

She gave a small smile and he returned it, huffing a laugh through his nose. He licked his lips and swallowed hard. “Is she...Sam’s mom, she...um. She still alive?”

“Yes.”

Dean raised his head and pressed his tongue to his bottom lip, then scraped his teeth over it. “And our dad…?”

“I don’t know, honestly. Sam doesn’t say much about him. He’s never given any indication that he’s not living, but...he doesn’t talk about him like he sees him. I figured he’d tell me about him when he was ready.”

Dean leaned back and let out a long sigh, hand coming to a still on the crest of his swell. He wasn’t sure how to process any of this. Maybe it made him a horrible person, but he didn’t really care if his dad was alive or not. The man had took one look at his Omega son and dumped him. Dean had been young, very young. His memories were fuzzy at best, but he recalled it being considered  odd that he’d presented so early. Omegas, in general, present a little earlier than Alphas and Betas, but Dean had been younger than Rory was now. That he knew for sure.

And still that man had seen it fit to leave a helpless boy behind. Dean remembered that look of disgust. And of course, shortly after that, he’d woken up alone and afraid. All thoughts of parents gone as he tried to figure out a way to survive in a world where Omegas were nothing but breeding holes.

Dean tapped a finger on his belly. His mother, though, still lived. Again, he wasn’t sure how he felt about that either. He supposed it might not have been her choice to leave him, but she still did, knowing full well his chances of survival were miniscule at best. Dean wondered if she had ever tried looking for him, then thought he probably didn’t want to know either way. 

“Dean…?”

He sucked in a breath and looked up to find Eileen smiling at him gently.

“This is a lot to take in,” she said. “I know. I can’t imagine what you’re feeling right now. I just…” She took a breath. “I just don’t want you to punish Sam for what your parents did. He’s a sweet soul. Wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone an Omega. I just think you should give this a chance. If he is your brother, I can’t think of a better one to have.”

“I…” Dean sat up and rubbed his hands slowly down his face then perched them under his chin, meeting Eileen’s gaze. “How do you just... _ start _ being brothers? I don’t...I mean, I wasn’t around people at all until I came here, and that was an adjustment, but I can’t imagine actually having real family. I wouldn’t know how-”

“I’m gonna stop you there, Dean,” Eileen held up a hand, her features soft. “The day you came here, we were already your family. I know this is different, obviously, but it doesn’t have to change anything. As soon as Sam and I decided to mate, he was a part of the family here, whether he lives here or not. This is my pack, my family, and he’s just a part of it now. So as far as we’re concerned, nothing changes other than the acknowledgement that you’re brothers, and the fact that maybe, if everything works out, our pups will have a much bigger, stronger support system than before.”

Dean chewed his lip as he watched her, nodding slightly. Of course, they were both aware that it would be a lot easier said than done. But it did somehow make Dean feel better to know that Sam was largely in the same position now as he was, as far as not really knowing how to proceed with the knowledge he has. 

“Okay, but what if…” Dean took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “what if I disappoint him? What if I’m not what he imagined, and he doesn’t like me when he gets to know me?” 

“How could you disappoint him?”

Dean scoffed and ran a hand through his hair roughly. “Not exactly big brother material. Not, um, not very smart. Didn’t exactly have a lot of learning opportunities growing up. Hell, I only just recently learned how to spell my own name.”

“That’s not the kind of thing that matters to Sam,” Eileen tilted her head. “And before you say it, he won’t care that you’re Omega. Like I said before, he’s not like that. Whatever your dad believed didn’t seem to rub off on Sam.”

“But I’m not-”

“Dean,” Eileen reached out and squeezed his hand. “I know you struggle with yourself. Most of us Omegas do. This world doesn’t see our worth, but the ones in this camp do. Our Alpha, Castiel, sees it. Sam sees it. I don’t pretend to know what all you’ve been through, but I can promise you, all Sam is going to see is your strength. There’s nothing for him to be disappointed about.”

He didn’t know if the welling tears were from the pregnancy hormones or not, but Dean definitely blamed it on them. He sniffed loudly and looked down at their hands, and coughed once to clear his throat, looking back up at Eileen through blurry eyes.

“I guess I just...I don’t really know how to approach this,” Dean said hoarsely. 

“You leave that to me,” Eileen assured him. “When Cas returns with Sam this weekend, I’ll tell him I talked to you. Then we’ll go from there.” 

Dean nodded, swallowing hard. “Thanks, Eileen.”

She nodded too, standing with a little effort and some help from Dean. “I don’t know what will come of everything once the baby’s born, but...at least we know we’ll have family. Everything else will fall into place.” She reached out and laid a hand on his cheek, giving him a smile. “Thanks for talking to me. I know how difficult this all is for you.”

Dean shrugged, trying to look nonchalant about it, but in reality the conversation had put even more on his already busy mind. “Thanks for...caring, I guess. Not everyone would’ve gone through the trouble.” 

She waved him off. “It’s not any trouble at all, Dean. Like I said, the pack is family. One day, when you finally let that sink in, you’ll see how big of a support system you actually have.” 

Eileen smiled and left, and Dean watched her from the window as she waddled her way down the hill. He didn’t breathe until she reached the bottom safely and he sighed, rubbing at his head. She’d given him even more to think about and he already felt like he was going to explode with everything else going on. 

“Mama?”

Dean furiously wiped the leftover tears from his eyes and turned, forcing a smile to Rory, who looked rightfully concerned. She stood in her doorway and tilted her head, her messy ponytail falling over her shoulder in cascading waves, looking every bit the young teenaged Ysabella from his dreams. 

“Hey, baby,” he said, in what he hoped was a tone that hid all the many emotions he was feeling. Of course, he couldn’t hide the scent he was giving off, which had a slight bitter tinge to it. He waved her over. “C’mere.”

She walked over without a word and wrapped her arms as far as she could around his middle, laying her head gently on his stomach. She pulled away after a moment, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” Dean nodded, and he sniffed and wiped tears from his eyes, feeling silly as he shook his head. “I just...I miss papa, that’s all. I wish he was here.” 

Rory reached up and Dean leaned forward, which was all he could do since both of them were well aware he was past the point of being able to comfortably and safely pick her up. She wiped his eyes and kissed his cheek, patting his hair soothingly.

“He’ll be home soon, mama. Then I’ll tell him to never leave again.”

Dean chuckled, a sad sound, and grabbed her hand to kiss her palm. “Okay, baby. Whatever you say.” It was a nice thought and he loved that his pup cared so much, but Cas’s duties were important, his will ironclad. Never leaving wasn’t an option, not until he officially retired as Alpha and passed it onto someone else. Which, judging by his slow aging, wouldn’t be for a long while.

“Ready for some lunch?” he asked, squeezing her hand.

Rory nodded and Dean slipped her cardigan onto her shoulders. She helped him down the hill and they walked leisurely towards the kitchen, Rory dutifully keeping the other pups at bay. She didn’t like how they crowded Dean, even though he’s told her plenty of times it was fine. 

The rest of the day was a bit of a blur. He talked and played with Rory up at the cabin but his mind was largely elsewhere, contemplating what was to come of the secret Omega ring and the outcome of his eventual meeting with Sam. He thought of his talk with Eileen and how, while nice of her to take the initiative, it created more anxiety than reassurance in Dean’s mind. He thought about asking Garth for an emergency session, but he didn’t want to worry Rory by pawning her off on Charlie or Missouri for the evening, especially when she was already concerned for him.

He ended up spending the night drawing with Rory and trying to distract himself from intrusive thoughts, finding that his pup was incredibly good at cheering him up. She drew pictures of their family, with the addition of their growing pup, and even if it was just for a little while, it made Dean feel better about the future he was helping to cultivate.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaayoooo this may be one of my favorite chapters! Have some angst, smut, and storytelling!

Dean knew he should be happy. 

Regardless, though, when he saw Cas- with Benny and Sam following closely behind- walk through the camp gates, his happiness was shrouded in resentment. Despite knowing Cas was doing what he needed to do, despite the fact that his mate was now home, Dean was fuming.

The camp pups flocked to him, of course, as they always did. And despite Dean’s anger, it still gave him the same swell in his heart to see them practically swarm him as he arrived, hugging his legs and jumping up into his arms, hugging him around the neck and kissing his cheeks. Cas stopped to give each of them individual attention, and a few of them even responded similarly to Benny and, even more surprisingly so, to Sam. 

Dean crossed his arms and leaned against the window of the cabin as he observed. The pup had begun to kick furiously, no doubt excited by the proximity of his father, which did nothing but sully Dean’s mood further. Dean scowled and rubbed his belly.

He watched as Rory hung back, letting each pup get their turn before approaching her papa. She hugged his leg, nuzzling him to get his scent, and Cas wrapped his arms around her in a tight hold. Their embrace was long and it didn’t end until Cas picked her up. She clung to her papa securely, her feelings of anger no doubt overtaken by how much she had missed him. Dean couldn’t blame her and would probably succumb to it himself, if he was being honest with himself. He was happy Cas was home safely and knew what he was doing was important, but Dean selfishly wanted him here. 

When he saw his mate and pup begin making their way towards the cabin, Dean pushed off from the window and checked on the stew he had simmering. It was getting a little warm for stew, but it was easy to make. Dean was still learning the basics of cooking, and he could only make the easy things. Last time he tried to cook them fish, he’d ended up burning it. Cas had eaten it anyway, a gentle smile on his face, and outright lied saying it was the best thing he’d ever had. Dean knew better, but it still warmed him that his Alpha would eat that charred thing just so Dean wouldn’t feel embarrassed.

He sighed as he idly stirred the stew, pretending not to focus on the door opening and the sound of his mate and pup stepping inside. Rory was chattering away about something, but Dean wasn’t paying much attention. He was suddenly tense and close to tears, and he refused to turn around and let them see his breakdown. It was the pregnancy, that was all. It had nothing to do with how much he missed Cas or how angry he was that his Alpha wasn’t around while Dean was swollen with his pup.

He could hear the gentle scuffing of Cas’s shoes on the wood floor as he closed the distance between them slowly, stopping a few feet away, probably when he was able to detach himself enough from Rory to sense the inner turmoil that Dean dealt with, which surely smelled unpleasant. 

“Omega.”

Cas spoke softly, more of a request than a demand. Dean set his jaw and looked pointedly down at the stew as he stirred, then laid the spoon aside in favor of the poker, which he used to stoke the fire. 

Part of him wanted to throw his arms around Alpha’s neck and just allow himself to be held, to be able to let Cas shoulder the weight of the strength he’d had to have for both himself and Rory the entire time he’d been gone. But the other part- the stubborn part- wanted to pretend that he wasn’t standing directly behind him requesting his attention. 

Cas was probably just as confused about the conflicting scents he was putting off, and the thought made Dean smirk internally. Good. Keep  _ him  _ on his toes for a change.

Dean felt a warm, gentle hand wrap around his wrist and his resolve crumbled. He turned and threw his arms around Cas, pressing as close as he could, and buried his nose into Cas’s neck. Alpha paused then slowly circled his arms around Dean, nuzzling back, the two scenting each other. No matter what happened between them, how frustrated Dean sometimes felt towards him, being in Cas’s arms was like coming home. The cabin, the camp, even their bed...none of it felt right unless Cas was there.

Cas was smart enough not to say anything, sensing the turmoil bubbling just below the surface. He took in his mate’s scent, ignoring all the bitter tang and focusing on the sweet smell of rain, with the hint of a thunderstorm brewing. When Dean began to pull away, Cas took a chance and cupped both sides of his face. He kissed him gently, but firmly, a claim and a reassurance. 

He pulled away after awhile and pressed his forehead to Cas’s, refusing to open his eyes and actually look at him. He clenched his jaw and shook his head slightly as Cas brushed his thumbs over his cheeks, trying to envelop Dean in his own calm. Both were a bit breathless, hot air mingling between them and tension of all kinds in the air around them, causing Dean’s skin to prickle.

“Rory, room,” Cas said firmly, though his voice never deviated from its typical cadence. 

“But Papa-”

“ _ Room,” _ he said a little more forcefully, pulling away enough to fix her with a hard stare. She hung her bottom lip and her head, but obeyed without another word. 

As soon as the door shut behind her, Cas backed Dean against the wall before he could even object, pressing their lips together and slotting their tongues against one another when Dean opened for him. He kissed him needily, desperately, holding him close and caressing his face, his neck, his belly, anything he could get his hands on.

“I’m sorry,” Cas said unpromptedly, one hand moving down to outline Dean’s belly then wrap around his waist and pull him in close. A few tears fell freely then, and still Cas kissed him through them, brushing them off his cheeks between kisses and panting breathlessly against each other’s lips. 

“ _ God,  _ I missed you,” Cas managed through his assault, with his lips halfway pressed to Dean’s. 

Dean wanted to push him away, tell him if he’d missed him so much why didn’t he just come home, but all he could do was pull him closer. Crash their lips together, pull at his hair, shudder when Cas’s hand clutched at his belly. In a matter of seconds his body was alive, his scent flaring wildly, and Dean suddenly remembered Missouri calling this the ‘horny month’. She hadn’t been joking. He was already slicking through his jeans, which was mortifying being his pup was in the other room.

Cas’s nostrils flared and he barely contained a growl, pressing his crotch to Dean’s thigh. “Dean, Dean  _ stop _ -”

“I can’t,” Dean closed his eyes, willing himself to rein it in, but there was no stopping it now. It felt like a heat; a spontaneous heat that had him slicking and sweating all over the place. Jack was stirring, restlessly kicking, and Dean’s senses were so heightened he swore he could hear Cas’s blood pumping.

Cas cursed and spared a glance at Rory’s closed bedroom door. He clenched his jaw so hard Dean could hear his teeth grinding, then Cas had him by the shoulders and spun him around so quickly he almost lost his balance, bracing himself last minute with his palms up against the wall. He gripped Dean’s hips roughly and pressed himself against his backside, hooking his chin over Dean’s shoulder to nip at his neck.

“You’ll have to be quiet, or I’ll have to make you,” Cas warned lowly, something that under different circumstances would’ve scared the shit out of Dean, but all it did now was send a delightful shiver through his body and a new trickle of slick out of his hole. He pushed back against Cas’s hardness, and Cas slid his hands quickly around to the front of Dean’s jeans just under his belly, unbuttoning and unzipping them and gently caressing the underside of his belly. 

“Keep your hands up, just like that, and push back, so we don’t hurt this little guy. Okay?”

Dean nodded and stifled a moan when Cas slid his hands into his pants and down his thighs, pushing the jeans with them down to his mid thigh. Cas removed his hands briefly and Dean could feel him moving behind him, but it was only a short period of time before he felt Cas’s fangs scraping over the back of his neck. It distracted him briefly, causing him to arch and suck in a shaky breath, before he felt Cas press his cock to his wet hole and fully sheath himself in one swift movement.

“ _ Fu- _ ”

A hand clamped over Dean’s mouth before he could finish the thought and he growled, his fangs poking at the skin of Cas’s palm. Cas seemed to like that, love it actually, if his sharp inhale and his twitching cock was any indication. 

“I said quiet, Omega,” Cas growled into his ear, nipping at it sharply. 

Dean grunted and pushed back, his hole aching and  _ wet _ , ridiculously so. It clenched, hugging Cas tight, and when Cas moved the sound brought a blush to Dean’s cheeks. Cas slid his hand over Dean’s belly and moaned softly, pressing his fingers against the swell. 

Cas fucked into him relentlessly, rocking the two of them up against the wall. Dean held steady, using his hands to push back so his belly wouldn’t hit. Cas gripped his hip tightly and snapped his hips sharply upwards, and Dean let his head fall back and his eyes close, breathing hard through his nose and letting out muffled cries from behind Cas’s hand. Every once in awhile Cas’s hand would drift to cradle Dean’s belly, and he would thrust a little gentler to do so, but it would be immediately followed up with more needy thrusting. Dean could feel his orgasm building quickly and his whole body was on fire. Jack was still stirring wildly in his womb, and Dean vaguely wondered if Cas could feel it too, or if he was too otherwise distracted. 

A largely unwarranted and unexpected wave of anger rushed over Dean again when he thought about the fact that Cas had spent more of the pregnancy away than he had there with his family, and he’d missed so many major things. He’d missed almost all of the morning sickness, which Dean supposed wasn’t really something logical to be mad about, but he was anyway. He’d missed all this distress with Rory and her new scenting. He’d missed Jack’s first flutters- which again, logically, Dean knew he was being irrational about since Cas couldn’t feel those- and he’d missed when Jack kicked for the first time. The anger bubbled out and Dean could practically feel it seeping through his pores, and the parts of Cas’s body that touched him tensed all at the same time, letting Dean know he could smell the resentment.

“Let it out,” was all Cas said, and Dean did the only thing he could think of: he bit down as hard as he could on Cas’s hand, tasting blood as he felt the warmth of Cas pumping him full, the knot pressed to his hole but not sheathed inside. Dean shuddered, his fangs still buried in Cas’s skin, his tongue flicking over the fresh wounds as he came with a broken and muffled moan.

Cas pressed up against him, his knot pulsing against Dean’s rim, and Dean wondered how difficult it was for Cas to keep from knotting him. With irrational anger still pumping through him, Dean hoped it hurt. He hoped it was excruciating and unsatisfying.

After a silent, tense moment, Dean unlocked his jaw and let Cas’s hand free. It hung by Cas’s side, blood dripping down his fingers and onto the floor. Cas pulled out slowly when his cock finally stopped spilling and tucked himself away. Dean grimaced as slick followed him out, running down his thighs. He huffed and pulled up his jeans, slapping Cas’s hand away when he tried to help him. He moved to the kitchen counter to grab a rag and wet it, without sparing Cas so much as a look, and he carefully cleaned his mess off the wall and floor, with Cas watching him closely.

“I’d appreciate the courtesy of you talking to me about what I’ve done to make you so angry.”

Dean rounded on him. “You have to ask?” he spat, throwing the rag into the makeshift sink, which was nothing more than a large bowl filled with water. It sent water splashing out over the sides and Cas looked past Dean at the water dripping off the counter, his arms hanging lifelessly by his sides, fingers twitching. 

He finally looked up at Dean, who met his gaze with an unwavering glare. Cas sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face and back up through his hair, scratching restlessly at the back of his head. He turned slowly and started walking over to the cabinet in the corner, which only served to make Dean angrier, and he huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the counter.

“That’s nice,  _ Castiel _ . Hope you’re planning on taking that outside.”

Cas didn’t say anything, calmly retrieving a joint from the little gold box and putting everything away, and he tucked it behind his ear as he turned back around and started heading to the door. Dean glared at him the whole way, until Cas’s hand was on the doorknob and he still hadn’t spoken.

“You’re just going to ignore me? You’ve been gone for a week and you get home, have your way with me, then ignore me. Great.” He was fuming now, practically shaking with anger. Cas froze facing the door and hung his head, finally clicking his tongue and turning to look at Dean, looking like the expression on his face was carefully put there.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, waving a hand in front of him. “I’m not going to argue with you, Dean.”

“No, why waste the energy on your own mate?”

Cas sucked in a breath and there was a flash of  _ something _ in his eyes, something that should have had Dean trembling. He was too angry to notice it, though, his emotions running rampant.

Dean’s eyes fell to his clenched fist, and he hadn’t realized exactly how deep he’d bitten, but the blood was still trickling through his fingers and dripping to the floor. He gestured harshly at it, letting his own hand fall back to his thigh with a  _ slap. _

“Guess you should probably go see Missouri about that, ‘fore it gets infected.”

The Alpha clenched his jaw, fangs poking out of his lips, eyes dark and menacing. Cas ripped the door open and slammed it shut behind him, rattling the walls and making Dean jump. Dean waited a breath, a hand automatically coming up to cradle his belly, as if he could protect Jack from all this bitterness in the air. Cas didn’t come back. Dean briefly caught a glimpse of him stomping into the forest, shoulders tense and bloodied hand curled into a fist.

Dean swallowed hard and turned back to the fire,  wordlessly removing the pot from the flames. It had boiled over some and now everything looked mushy. Another failed dinner by an Omega who just wasn’t cut out to be a mate. 

His eyes prickled and he rubbed at them furiously, so sick of crying but unable to help the tears from falling anyway. Dean looked away from the ruined stew and shakily walked over to the futon, carefully lowering himself down. The tears wouldn’t stop so he just let them flow, stroking his belly. Jack was still, sensing his mother’s distress, confused by why his father was gone again.

Rory’s door creaked open and she peered out from behind the crack, a hand curling around the edge of the door.

“Mama?”

Dean just held his arms out to her, immediately feeling guilty, because surely all the tension in the air and the strange mix of scents was confusing to her. Rory didn’t hesitate before letting the door swing open the rest of the way and making her way over to him, crawling carefully up on the futon and tucking herself in beside him, wrapping her arms around him and stroking his belly lovingly.

“I’m sorry, mama,” she said softly, and Dean hummed and kissed her forehead. 

“You got nothin’ to be sorry for, baby,” he said hoarsely, hugging her back and rocking them gently. 

“I can talk to him, if you want.”

“No,” Dean said firmly. “I need to be the one to talk to him. Just...need some time first. Both of us.”

“But…”

“No, baby, please,” Dean murmured, burying a hand into her soft hair. “Don’t get in the middle of it, okay? I’ll handle it.”

Rory fell silent, clutching to him. Dean stared blankly into the empty fireplace and wondered if all matings were this hard. Or if maybe theirs was broken from the start, just like Dean had been.

\----

The night continued on like it always did when Cas wasn’t there. Dean fed Rory the mushy stew, and she ate it up without any complaints. He got her cleaned and into bed, tucking her into the blankets and listening to her read a chapter of  _ Harry Potter _ . Though this particular night he didn’t pay any attention to the story, too engrossed in his own dark thoughts. Jack remained mostly still, kicking only occasionally when Dean touched his belly.

When Rory fell asleep, Dean stripped down and climbed into bed. It felt empty without Cas, but it was sadly becoming something Dean was used to. He didn’t sleep, though, staring up at the dark window. It was overcast and would rain any minute, rumbles of thunder threatening a downpour. When the drops began pelting against the glass, Dean blinked and idly wondered if Cas had found somewhere dry. 

No sooner than he’d thought it a sharp howl rang out from just outside the cabin, one Dean recognized. It was a comfort, but despite that he felt goosebumps erupt over his entire body, the little one in his womb stirring restlessly at the sound. The rain started falling harder and he didn’t hear anything else for a long time, and it was hard to say how much longer after that it took him to finally drift off to sleep.

It was some time later when the sound of the door opening woke him, and Dean’s eyes popped open. He watched silently as Cas closed the door behind him and leaned back against it, his head falling back with a  _ thud _ , eyes closed. He was breathing hard, like he’d just finished running, and for all Dean knew, he could’ve just shifted back. It was likely, if the faint smell of wet dog was anything to go by. Dean kind of hated the fact that he enjoyed the smell.

Cas sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand, and Dean noticed he was still favoring the hand a bit. Only the bottom two buttons on his shirt were in use, the rest of it half hanging open around him and clinging tightly to his torso from the rain. Dean could see all of this clearly even in the dark of the room, could hear the steady dripping of rainwater on the wood floor, his erratic heartbeat, the scent of resignment and shame and desperation. 

Dean thought, very briefly, about ignoring Cas’s presence and feigning sleep. He couldn’t ignore his Alpha, though, no matter how much hurt and anger he felt. He slowly sat up, watching Cas tense in the dark. Dean didn’t say a word as he slipped on some loose pants and padded into the little kitchen. He got the fire going and set the leftover stew on to warm up. Mushy, inadequate stew, but it was food and he was willing to bet Cas hadn’t eaten yet.

Dean walked over to the bathroom and grabbed a relatively dry towel. He got a sense of deja vu, remembering the last time Cas had shown up soaked to the bone and half naked. Dean sighed and emerged from the bathroom, Cas watching him warily as he approached. Dean draped the towel over Cas’s head and started rubbing gently, drying his wild hair.

When Cas began to relax he slid slowly to the floor, exhaustion getting the best of him, and Dean was willing to bet he’d spent the majority of his time gone just running the perimeter. Dean knelt down in front of him, on his knees between Cas’s legs, dabbing the wetness off Cas’s face as he worked to catch his breath. Cas’s eyes never left him, but he didn’t say anything, just a willing recipient of his caretaking ministrations. 

Dean pressed the towel to his chest and up his neck, then back down his arms, a little slower than necessary. He felt Cas’s eyes on him even when he wasn’t looking, but it wasn’t until Dean tried to tend to his injured hand that he even moved at all. He took the hand gently and turned it over in his own, palm up, and he was about to clean it up a little when Cas’s free hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. His grip was firm but not rough, and when Dean looked up at him he just shook his head, his hand twitching in Dean’s. 

Dean scoffed. “Don’t be stubborn.”

Cas didn’t respond but reached up with his good hand and buried his fingers in the hair on the back of Dean’s head, trying to pull him closer. Dean shrugged out of it and pushed his hand away. 

“Stop.”

Cas’s expression didn’t really change, almost as if he’d expected it, but it didn’t stop him from touching his neck, and he was undeterred when Dean pushed his hand away again, brushing his fingers against his cheek. 

“Cas I said  _ stop _ -”

“Please, Dean,” Cas whispered hoarsely, his voice rough. “Haven’t touched you in a week. Need to feel you.”

Dean wanted to snap ‘and whose fault was that?’, but kept his mouth firmly closed. He nodded once, stiffly, and Cas sighed as he cupped the side of Dean’s neck. His fingers brushed against the bite mark, tracing the scars. Dean let him at it and pried off the wet shirt, the thing landing with a wet  _ slap _ on the floor. He toweled off Cas’s torso, stopping just above the waistband on his pants. Cas could take care of that. 

When he deemed Cas dry enough, Dean got to his feet with some effort. He stalked over to the kitchen, poured some of the stew into a bowl, and sat it down on the counter.

“Here,” he said shortly, turning and walking past Cas to crawl back into bed.

Cas stood and licked his lips, eyeing Dean with a tired expression. “Thank you,” he murmured, and was met with a shoulder as Dean rolled over onto his side. 

He heard Cas shuffle to the bed behind him, felt the dip as he sat down on the edge. He leaned over and laid his hand on Dean’s arm, and Dean stiffened under his touch before shrugging it off. There was tense silence for a long time after that before Cas finally spoke again.

“You can punish me for as long as you deem necessary. As long as you come back to me.”

Dean didn’t respond, clutching the quilt tighter to his chest and curling in on himself. Cas sighed and the bed shifted as he stood again, a chair scuffing across the floor a moment later as he sat down to eat. 

Dean was still awake some time later, after Cas had eaten and stripped himself of his wet pants, toweled off, and joined him in bed. He kept to himself, giving Dean his space, but Dean never heard the telltale evening out of his breath to indicate that he was asleep before he fell into his own restless sleep.

\----

Dean woke again in the very early hours of the morning, the sun not even peeking over the horizon yet. He was curled up in Cas’s arms, burrowed into his neck, his belly cradled between them. Dean didn’t feel any of the anger from the night before, just safety and warmth and  _ Alpha _ . He held onto the feeling, a moment of calm and serenity.

Cas was awake and staring at him warily, as if waiting for Dean to pull away. The dark circles under his eyes were more prominent than they usually were, confirming Dean’s suspicions that he hadn’t slept. Dean sighed and leaned in, pressing a kiss to his lips. 

“I missed you,” he mumbled, grabbing Cas’s good hand and pressing to his swell. “He missed you, too.”

Cas flexed his fingers over his belly, then slid his hand up to cup Dean’s cheek and pull him into another more heated kiss, tongues mingling and gentle scrapes of teeth over Dean’s lip. It was unhurried, soft smacking sounds filling the otherwise silent room. They’d talk about everything later, Dean was sure, when they’d both had time to process everything, but for now all felt right again and Dean was going to cling to the feeling with everything he had.

Cas pressed his forehead to Dean’s with a sigh, murmuring against his lips.

“Dean, I’m...I’m so sor-”

“Not now,” Dean shook his head, rubbing a hand down through Cas hair and letting it come to rest on his neck. “Please, just… not now.”

Cas swallowed and nodded, his fingertips pressed lightly into the curve of Dean’s jaw. Dean hesitated a moment longer before leaning forward again and slotting their lips together, resuming their languid kisses.

It was a nice way to wake up. Much better than waking up alone to an empty bed and a heavy heart. They took it no further than kisses and light touches, not wanting to risk Rory walking in on anything they didn’t want her see; unwilling to risk what they had the night before in their desperate and frenzied state.

They didn’t pull away from each other until the morning sun was filtering in through the window. Dean reluctantly crawled out of bed to pee, because Jack liked to use his bladder as a squeeze toy. He battled some typical morning sickness, which didn’t come very often anymore and was mostly just a few minutes of gagging into the toilet. This morning was different, though, as Cas was there to rub his back and wipe at his sweaty forehead. It was a huge comfort, despite the fact that it did little to actually alleviate the nausea. 

When it had passed, Cas helped him to his feet and they got dressed in between kisses and teasing touches. The anger and bitterness simmered just below the surface, waiting to overflow again, but they both pushed it aside. They wanted to be with each other, just savor being together for a little while after being apart for so many days.

“So,” Dean started as he sat down on the edge of the bed and watched as Cas buttoned up a fresh shirt, a light blue baggy thing that did nothing for his trim figure. “How was the trip?”

“Well, not enjoyable, if that’s what you’re asking,” Cas muttered, buttoning the last button and readjusting the collar. “We have...an  _ idea  _ now, of where to go.” He spoke slowly, as if carefully choosing his words. “I spoke with Jesse and Caesar at one of the camps just outside Fayetteville, and they’d been hearing whispers, kind of throwaway talk from people passing through. They didn’t think anything of it, until Benny and I showed up.”

Dean perked, raising his eyebrows. “You mean you...you know where the camp is?”

“We know where to go look,” Cas said simply.

“So you’ll leave again.”

“Dean-”

“No, I expected as much,” Dean shrugged, refusing to let his anger get the best of him for the moment. Finding information on the camp is what Cas had been working towards for months now, and this should’ve been good news, but it only meant more time away, and a lot of danger. Dean gripped the edge of the bed tightly, the whites of his knuckles showing.

“We’re going to be extra cautious,” Cas assured him. “We’re putting together a bigger group, with more Alphas from nearby camps. But I’ll...I’m gonna hang around here, for awhile. We want to be prepared, so it’ll take some time to put together. And like I told Benny, I...I need to be here.”

Dean scraped his teeth over his bottom lip, nodding absently and looking away, out the window. He heard Cas sigh but never looked up at him as he closed the space between them and sat down beside him on the bed.

“I realize that this is an imperfect situation,” Cas said dumbly, but Dean just looked past him, admiring the way the light filtered through the window and onto the wood floor. He noticed now that the floor was slightly more faded there, from all the years of the light stretching across it, burning its place into the small grooves. 

“Well, hey, if anyone was gonna understand it, it’d be me, right?” Dean said bitterly, forcing a small smile that they both knew was fake. 

“I also realize,” Cas continued, reaching out to take his hand, “that this has been unfair to you. And unfair to Rory.” 

Dean didn’t pull away, just let his hand rest limply in Cas’s. He shrugged.

“Dean, I… I’m doing this for you. Did you know that? I want to save these Omegas and I want to protect my pack but ultimately, I’m working as relentlessly as I am, for  _ you.  _ I d- I...I don’t know what else I can do.” Cas sounded like he was at a complete loss, unsure of himself for the first time Dean can ever remember. Dean closed his eyes and sighed heavily, a hand coming up to rest on his belly. Jack stirred, kicking at his palm, and Dean grabbed Cas’s hand to place it next to his. There was another kick and Cas’s mouth fell open. He leaned forward and pressed his cheek to Dean’s belly, smiling when the pup kicked at him. Dean swallowed and let his hand rest in Cas’s hair, wishing his mate had been here for the first kick but happy he was here to feel this one. 

“Come home to us,” Dean said softly. “No matter what it takes, come home and I’ll...we’ll be okay.”

Cas looked up at Dean, those blue eyes pulling him in, and nodded. “I’ll always come back to you, Omega.”

Dean sighed and nodded, knowing this didn’t really fix anything. So much could go wrong. Cas would still be gone for most of Dean’s pregnancy. The bitterness and loneliness would grow. The fights would grow angrier, the distance greater, the time apart longer. Dean wasn’t sure of much, but he was absolutely sure he loved his Alpha and that he was loved in return. He hoped that would be enough.

“I talked to Eileen,” he said quietly, and Cas sat up, watching him carefully. He furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to speak a few times before actually managing any words.

“About Sam.”

“Yes.”

Cas sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face, then reached out to hold the back of Dean’s neck, like he often did as a sort of reassurance. “What did she say?”

Dean shrugged. “Basically they’ve had the same conversation that you and I have. Sam recognizes my scent too. He...wants to talk about it, I guess. Eileen got tired of him waiting to make a move, so she came to me herself.” He looked at Cas curiously. “Did he say anything to you on the trip?”

Cas shook his head. “No. No, but he, uh...he seemed...introspective. Didn’t have a whole lot to say to anyone, which in my experience with him, is not exactly the norm. He’s…” Cas huffed a laugh, “he’s quite intelligent, and he has no problem making sure people are aware of it.”

“Great. Just what I need.”

Cas pulled him in and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Are you gonna talk to him?”

Dean bit his lip and rubbed circles over his belly, leaning into Cas’s touch. It felt so good to just be near him again. It gave Dean strength, strength enough to even consider talking to Sam when just a few days ago he’d been close to tears about it. 

“I guess I should,” he muttered. “If he can scent it too, then...it would be stupid to ignore it.”

“No one is forcing you,” Cas said gently, stroking the back of his neck. “Sam or Eileen can’t make you do anything.”

“I know,” Dean rested his head on Cas’s shoulder. “But I...need to. My first instinct when things go bad is to run. That’s how I survived on my own. I was too weak to fight, so I ran and hid my whole life. I’m really...kind of sick of it. I have a chance to maybe...have a brother. It scares me, but I want to try it.”

“I think that’s brave of you,” Cas said, his voice rumbling against Dean’s cheek. “I so admire you for making the decision to go through with this. Do you want me to go with you?”

Dean considered it, and how much easier it would probably be for him to be able to use Cas as a sort of buffer. Ultimately, though, it would distract him from the task at hand.

“No. No, I...I think this is something I want- I  _ need-  _ to do on my own.”

Cas nodded sagely and stroked Dean’s hair, and Jack moved comfortably inside him, probably relieved from the lifted tension, for however brief it may be. Dean wanted to let him bask in it as long as he could. 

“How did your appointment with Missouri go?”

“Good,” Dean shrugged, closing his eyes. “Everything seems healthy. Measuring big, but she expected that given that it’s...well, you.”

Cas snorted.

“She said I should expect an early delivery,” Dean continued. “I’m measuring more around 5 months. And, um, we talked about some of the things to expect for this month. Swollen ankles, which have already been a bitch. Heartburn. My, uh...m-milk will start coming in soon. And this is apparently...the, um...horny month. So, you know, there’s that.”

“As opposed to-?”

Dean gave him a light-hearted shove and Cas laughed.

“Well, I’m glad everything is looking good,” he said, sliding a hand down to caress Dean’s belly. “And for the forseeable future, I’ll be here to massage your swollen ankles and do anything else you may need.”

“Good. You may also deal exclusively with my rampant mood swings.”

Cas grinned. “I welcome them.”

“You say that now,” Dean grunted as he pushed himself up off the bed, Cas following and supporting him with an arm around his lower back, “but they can get pretty brutal.”

“I think I can handle it.”

“Speaking of which,” Dean gestured to Cas’s hand, which he’d haphazardly wrapped with an old piece of cloth, “you should probably actually have that looked at. The danger of infection-”

“You’ve been spending too much time with Missouri.”

He pointedly laid a hand on his stomach. “Well, it’s sort of a requirement at this point.”

Cas pressed a kiss to Dean’s belly and sighed. “If it will make you feel better, I’ll go see her today.”

Dean raised a brow.

Cas blinked. “Uh..right now, I mean. I’ll go see her right now.”

Dean smiled. “Good idea.”

Cas swallowed and nodded, then hastily finished getting dressed. Deciding that he didn’t want to be apart from Cas, even for a simple visit to Missouri, Dean got dressed too and went to wake their pup. With his help, she sleepily dressed and clung to his hand as they walked out the door. 

They parted ways only briefly, for Dean to take Rory and get the three of them breakfast as Cas went ahead to the medic cabin. They didn’t see Missouri, so she must’ve already been in the medic cabin tending to someone else. Dean carried their plates of sausage and eggs to the medic cabin, quickly finding Cas on one of the beds and Missouri already tending to his hand.

Missouri smiled warmly at them and, thankfully, didn’t say anything to Dean about the bite, even though they both knew he was the one who put it there. Rory climbed up on the bed with Cas and hung off the back of his neck, half choking him, but he didn’t really seem to mind. Missouri eventually scolded her for jumping around and jostling him while she was trying to work, so she sat down and crossed her arms, clearly pouting. 

“I felt him kick for the first time today, Missouri,” Cas said proudly as she wrapped his hand, and she looked up at him and raised a brow. 

“Well, it’s about time,” she said plainly. “He ain’t shy, I’ll say that. Seem like everybody in this camp felt the little bugger move by now.”

Dean felt a little smug about that too, until he saw Cas’s face fall slightly, so subtle he may not have noticed it if he wasn’t paying attention.  He took pity on him and reached to grab his good hand, squeezing it firmly.

“Cas got a good kick,” he said with a nod. “Pup knows his papa. Never this active before.”

Cas looked up at Dean and smiled gratefully, kissing Dean’s knuckles. “He does seem pretty excitable,” he chuckled, looking down at Dean’s belly with fondness. “He’ll be a handful when he’s born.”

“Mmhm, just like his daddy,” Missouri muttered as she finished wrapping up his hand. “If you could stop getting yourself injured, I’d appreciate it. I  _ do _ have other patients.”

Cas pressed his lips together, casting Dean a glance, then nodded solemnly. “I will try to be more...thoughtful next time.”

Missouri eyed him for a moment. “See that you do.” She stood and wiped her hands. “You’re all fixed up. Now get out of here. Spend some time with your mate and pup.”

Cas pulled Rory up into his arms and she wrapped herself around him, laying her head on his shoulder. Dean almost protested because really, Rory was getting to be too big to be carried around, but Cas had been away so often and she’d missed him so much that he didn’t have the heart to say anything. Cas stepped down out of the cabin and helped Dean down, then wrapped an arm around his waist and the three of them started back up to their cabin. 

Cas hesitated briefly at Charlie’s cabin before sitting Rory on her feet, kissing her forehead and holding up a finger to Dean.

“Just...I’ll be right back.”

“What-”

Cas just gave him a sly grin and trotted away, disappearing into Charlie’s cabin. Donna waved from her porch, sitting in a rickety chair and polishing a long rifle, and Dean waved back. Jody emerged from behind the cabin chasing a pair of pups and gave him a nod, and he waved at her too. 

Cas came back out a few minutes later and closed the door behind him, not giving Dean any indication of what all that was about before hoisting Rory back into his arms and perching her on one side, then wrapping his free arm back around Dean to help him up the hill. 

“You gonna-”

“You’ll see,” was all Cas said, and Dean huffed, but let it go. 

They spent a quiet day together. Rory dragged all her drawing supplies out into the living room so she could sit with them, and Dean joined after some gentle prodding from Cas. He wasn’t very confident with his drawing skills and didn’t usually draw in front of anyone. He could make an exception for Cas and Rory, though. 

Rory chatted up a storm, filling Cas in on every little detail he missed that week. Cas couldn’t get a word in, so he just nodded and hummed, all the while stroking Dean’s hair and nuzzling his neck. The Alpha couldn’t keep his hands off and Dean wasn’t complaining one bit, occasionally abandoning his drawing completely to lean into the touches.

Jack stirred and kicked constantly, apparently excited to have his family together. Cas’s hand hardly left Dean’s belly, feeling every bit of movement as he rubbed small circles over the swell.   

They took Rory to bed shortly after sundown, both tucking her in and laying on either side of her as she read them some of  _ Harry Potter.  _ Cas was focused on the book as she read, helping her to pronounce certain words or names that she struggled with, and Dean was content just marveling at the two of them, only half paying attention to what was actually going on in the story. 

Cas took over reading the rest of the chapter when Rory started struggling to keep her eyes open, and she was asleep several pages before he finished, but he kept on anyway, his arm under Rory’s head and reached over to lay on Dean’s stomach, stroking softly. The most Jack was doing at that point was stretching and fluttering, like Cas was helping to lull him to sleep as well.

When he’d finished they both detangled themselves from Rory’s grip and quietly left her room, cracking the door behind them. Cas grabbed a joint and a couple of other things from his cabinet and tucked the joint behind his ear, then threw a blanket from the futon over his shoulder. Dean watched curiously but didn’t question it, and Cas kissed him and assured him that he’d be right back, disappearing outside. Dean watched him light the joint from the window and walk into the woods, the glowing of the cherry on the end of his joint the only thing he could see after awhile, and then that was gone, too.

Dean had just lowered himself onto the futon when there was a gentle knock at the door, and he frowned, then rolled his eyes. He grunted as he pulled himself back up and walked over to the door, speaking irritably as he yanked it open.

“We have a sleeping pup in the other room and you  _ live _ here-”

But it was Charlie on the other side of the door instead of Cas, looking a little confused. She scratched nervously at the back of her head and gestured toward Dean, pulling her long shirt sleeves over her hands anxiously.

“Sorry, Dean...Cas, he uh...he asked me to come by tonight-”

Dean opened his mouth to speak but Cas emerged from the woods at a jog, waving at both of them. He hugged Charlie from behind as he approached the porch, then squeezed her shoulder, pulling the joint from between his lips.

“Hey, thanks for doing this, Charlie. Help yourself to whatever while we’re gone. Rory’s already asleep, pretty tuckered out too, so she probably won’t be any trouble.”

“I’m sure she won’t. It’s no problem.” Charlie smiled at him, then at Dean. “I hope you both have a great time.”

Dean frowned and tilted his head at Cas, who just waved a hand dismissively. They all stepped inside but Cas didn’t close the door behind him, instead pulling Dean in by his waist and kissing him, then brushing his fingers over his cheek as he pulled away, smiling softly. 

“Meet me at our spot in ten minutes.”

Dean’s eyebrows furrowed and he opened his mouth to say something, but Cas just winked and disappeared again, jogging back into the woods. Dean blinked and looked over at Charlie, who just shrugged and shook her head.

“Hey, don’t look at me. You mated with the weirdo.”

Well. He couldn’t argue with that.

Dean clicked his tongue and looked out the window, peering into the dark woods curiously as if it would tell him why his Alpha was acting so strange. Stranger than usual, anyway. He huffed and grabbed a light jacket before stepping outside. With his pregnant state it would take him almost ten minutes just to get to their spot, even with his heightened eyesight and the full moon lighting the way. 

He trekked carefully, a hand on his belly and the other hand out for balance as he walked the uneven ground of the forest. He sighed as he finally came upon the clearing and looked around curiously. He didn’t see Cas, but he did see the fluffy blanket laid out carefully on the grass. Dean carefully stepped forward, scanning the dark woods around, but he couldn’t see much further than the wall of brush and trees that surrounded the clearing. 

He huffed as he cast his eyes about, eventually coming to stop at the blanket. It looked comfortable and he supposed he was waiting for Cas to show up anyway, so he lowered himself onto it, laying back and looking up at the almost perfectly round circle of sky above, the full moon just barely poking over the top of the tree canopy. 

He smelled him first, and Jack practically began somersaulting in his womb, so much so that Dean had to lay a hand over his stomach to calm him. He closed his eyes and smiled as he heard the brush around him rustling, then more silence, then the slight jolt of a cold nose against his cheek, scenting and chuffing.

“Warm that thing up before you go sticking it places,” Dean teased, cracking an eye open and watching that big wolf head tilt to the side, ears quirked. “Yeah, that thing.” He reached up and poked the wolf on his nose. The wolf blinked and nipped at Dean’s finger, though nip was a strong word. It was more of a caress of the tongue and Dean chuckled, moving his hand away. The wolf chased it and Dean let him catch it, a finger held captive between gentle jaws.

“Did I offend you?” Dean grinned up at him, wiggling his finger. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it. You have the best nose in the world.”

Dean swore he saw the wolf roll his eyes as he dropped his finger, then lowered his head to chuff against Dean’s neck. Dean turned his head to the side, exposing his neck in a completely submissive gesture, which the wolf seemed to like by the long licks he was paying to the stretch of skin. Cas moved up and licked his face once, then made his way down, scenting down his neck, his chest, to his belly, where he nosed at the bottom of Dean’s shirt.

Dean chuckled and pulled it up to expose his belly, and Cas scented it for a long time, circling around Dean one way and then back the other. He licked him there too, and Dean vaguely considered the idea that this  _ should  _ be weird, but it didn’t feel that way to him. After all, the wolf had been the first real friend he had when he got to Eden...it was just a plus that it was also the man that became his mate.

After awhile Cas laid down beside him, letting his large head rest on Dean’s stomach, though he clearly wasn’t putting his full weight there. Jack seemed content at that, his movements growing slower, and Dean felt like he was humming with contentment.

Dean buried a hand in thick, black fur and watched with amusement as Cas wagged his tail happily. He thought back to his conversation with Missouri and wondered if they’d ever know what Cas really was. A wolf or a human. Dean decided Cas was just both and maybe it wasn’t as complicated as they made it out to be. In the end it didn’t really matter to Dean; wolf and Cas were the same, and he loved them both.

The thoughts inevitably lead to the other part of the conversation and he couldn’t fight back to small blush that spread across his cheeks. He hadn’t talked to Cas about that, conveniently leaving that out when he’d filled Cas in on the appointment. It was a strange mixture; he was dying to ask Cas if he ever thought about shifting while mating and also completely terrified of the answer.

Dean sighed and shook his head. He’d deal with that when and if the time came. Right now he just wanted to enjoy this alone time with his Alpha. He shifted, massaging just behind Cas’s ear and earning a rumbling purr. Dean laughed and smoothed down some of the fur. 

“You’re very easy to please,” he murmured, shivering when Cas licked at his belly again.

He reveled in the warmth that the giant beast gave off, since it was still decently cool at nighttime. There was always something about the full moon too, that put a crisp chill in the air. None of that mattered tonight, with his Alpha curled up next to him, nuzzling him, scenting him, licking his belly and sometimes his jeans, no doubt smelling earlier arousal and whatever else. It wasn’t sexual though, not in the sense that Missouri talked about...it just felt like he was being well taken care of. 

He stroked Cas’s back slowly, from between his ears down to the start of his tail, humming as Cas wagged happily. Jack didn’t move after awhile, and it dawned on Dean that the gentle licking and nuzzling Cas had been doing seemed to have lulled him to sleep.

“Jesus, that would’ve been nice all those nights I couldn’t sleep for him playing hopscotch on my friggin’ bladder,” Dean grumbled. The wolf stood slowly so as not to disturb Dean or Jack, turning around in circles a few times, and eventually laid right up against Dean, resting his head in the crook of his arm. He resumed his gentle licking, all along his neck, against the shell of his ear, occasionally his cheek. He was grooming him, Dean finally realized, and he took it a little more seriously then, exposing his neck for better access and trying to lay still while Cas thoroughly cleaned him. The wolf nosed against the collar of his shirt, chuffing loudly, so Dean leaned up enough to pull it over his head, submitting to having his chest licked softly, with a few to his belly when Jack shifted even the least little bit.

Cas eventually nudged him to his side, which took some time, Dean not understanding what he wanted until he stood and chuffed irritably at him. Dean conceded with a laugh and rolled slowly to his side, and Cas settled in behind him, nosing along his back and licking him there too. It felt amazing, almost like a massage that Dean didn’t realize he needed, and he sighed contentedly, moaning lowly every once in awhile when Cas hit an especially tight muscle.

It hit him again that this should be weird, and maybe it would be for others. It felt strangely normal, though, like this was something they’ve been doing the whole time. Which was a true in a way, before Dean knew who the wolf really was. It was more than that, though, and it tugged at some foggy instinct Dean didn’t even know he had. It made him think, vaguely, that the legends might be true. Maybe they all came from wolves, like Skoll and Hati. 

When Cas seemed content with the results of his grooming, he chuffed at Dean’s neck and nudged at him until Dean got the message and rolled onto his back again. 

“Now I’m all wet,” Dean grumbled half-heartedly. “And not in the fun way.” 

Cas let out a sound that may have been a laugh, if wolves could even do that. Dean smiled and reached up, looping his arm around his neck and pulling him down. Cas went willingly, letting Dean kiss his muzzle. He settled in beside him again and Dean buried his face in the thick fur of his neck, hugging him tightly. It felt so good to have his Alpha home with him, in whatever form he pleased, snuggled close, keeping him warm and safe. And the grooming thing, while strange from the outside, was just Cas’s instinctual way of taking care of him and their pup. And strangely, the pup seemed even more calmed by him in wolf form than human form, like they had some special connection that way that Dean couldn’t possibly understand.

The wolf stood back up and started walking around Dean in a circle, rubbing against his side, then turning and rubbing again against the other side. Claiming him, by covering him in his own scent. Finally he stopped at Dean’s feet, and Dean propped his head up to watch as he sat down with a huff on his haunches, just a few feet away, threw back his head, and howled.

It was long, loud, and almost sad, calming and frightening all at once, and it seemed to drag on and on. Dean shivered and goosebumps erupted up all over his body, sending nerve endings on fire from head to toe, causing his slick gland to pulse and his muscles to clench. He began to pant softly, eyes wide and heart racing. Jack stirred again and Dean could’ve sworn it felt like the damn pup was purring, even knowing that it was impossible. The wolf’s howl left eerie quiet in its wake, and he looked back at Dean with glowing blue eyes, his nostrils flared and the hair on his neck standing up.

Dean licked his lips, legs automatically falling open as his slick gland pulsed again. The night air suddenly didn’t feel so cool as his body heated up, quick and easy, responding to his Alpha’s claim. Wolf or not didn’t seem to matter to whatever it was that controlled his instincts. A claim was a claim, and his body was ready to let the Alpha in. 

“Damn,” Dean huffed a laugh, a flush on his cheeks. “One little howl and you’ve got me soaking.” 

Cas chuffed, sniffing at the air and dancing on his paws restlessly. He licked his chops, eyes glowing so bright they put the moon to shame. 

“Well, Alpha?” Dean drawled. “You gonna do something about it?” 

The wolf growled lowly and circled Dean once, twice, rubbing and sniffing and licking. Dean waited patiently, could see the battle going on in Cas’s head. 

Dean had never seen it before, how Cas went from human to wolf and back again. He imagined it a somewhat uncomfortable, maybe even painful process. He could never picture  _ how _ it happened. So when it began, right before his eyes, he almost didn’t notice it at first. Cas settled between his legs, that long tongue lapping around his belly, a paw braced beside him. Dean saw it in the paw first, the appendages flattening and elongating into fingers that stretched across his skin when he moved it to his belly, though the claws remained. He saw the fur gradually sink away, giving away to tan skin. He caught a glimpse of the back legs, bones shifting and bending, skin replacing fur, the tail shortening until it was completely gone. The back curving, the shoulders broadening, the snout flattening, ears shrinking and curving. It was all gradual and yet quick, and if Dean had blinked he would have missed most of it. 

Within seconds, he was staring into Cas’s very human face, but his eyes remained wild and untamed. He chuffed and rubbed against Dean’s belly, the body human but the mind still wolf. 

Dean arched under him and let out an involuntary whine, surprising even himself. Cas wasted no time, unbuttoning Dean's jeans and forcing them roughly down his legs, pulling off his shoes and socks and ridding him completely of the constricting clothes. Dean's cock arched up toward his stomach, leaking clear precum against his swell. Cas lapped it up hungrily then closed his lips around the head of Dean's cock, swirling his tongue to gather whatever his needy body would give him. He pulled off with a wet  _ pop _ and moved up Dean's body, taking a pert nipple between his teeth and biting gently. Dean arched again with a small cry, not realizing just how sensitive his nipples had gotten in just the last month or so. Cas smoothed his tongue over the hard bud and let go, surging forward to capture Dean's lips in a filthy kiss, one hand coming up to thread fingers into his hair. He was careful not to put any pressure on his belly, and between his assault and Jack's excited movements Dean was quickly panting into Cas's mouth, holding onto strong arms for any kind of purchase he could muster. Cas pulled their lips apart by gripping the top of Dean's hair and pulling back, exposing his neck, which he latched onto and growled against the soft skin there, nipping and sucking.

The crazy part was that even though the haze, despite the fact that he was already mated to Alpha, swollen with his pup, his basic instincts were screaming at him to be bred. His body  _ wanted  _ more, begged to support extra life, to do what Omegas were made for. Whether he logically wanted it or not, he instinctively treasured the thought of carrying a whole litter of pups, of caring for them and nursing them, hearing the little pitter patter of feet in their cabin and a chorus of little voices calling him ‘mama’.

Dean thought maybe, at the core of it all, it wasn't so much his Omega instincts as it was his own personal need to take care of others. 

“Cas,” Dean croaked, an arm looped around Cas’s shoulders, and he groaned when Cas growled into his skin. He felt fangs scraping against his neck, big monstrous fangs, and arched needily. He belly rubbed against something hard and Cas’s thick cock smeared pre-cum across the swell. 

Cas growled again and rutted against Dean, panting into his neck and digging his claws into the dirt just above Dean’s head. When he lifted his head, Dean’s breath caught in his throat. The eyes staring down at him weren’t human, glowing wild blue, frenzy with lust and need and  _ want _ . He was looking up at his wolf wearing a human face. Dean smiled and cupped Cas’s jaw.

“Hey, easy…” he murmured, licking his lips. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m ready, open for you…” Dean canted his hips up, slick seeping out, his rim swollen and wet. “Right here for you, Alpha.”

He couldn’t tell exactly how coherent Cas was at that moment, or if he was human enough to fully comprehend exactly what he was saying. Of course, he knew Cas could understand him, even in his wolf form, but the look in his eyes now was completely untamed. His touch did seem to be helping to ground him, if at least minimally, as he stared down at him, mouth hanging open as he panted, eyes searching his face.

It occured to Dean that  _ this  _ was the wild Alpha that Cas had tried so hard to hide from him, to protect him from.  _ This  _ was what Cas had been afraid to show him all along, his true self, far more beast than man. And yet here Dean was, an Omega who’d been broken and pieced back together, wanting the wild Alpha with everything within him. 

“I trust you, Cas,” Dean said sincerely, stroking the side of his face. Cas leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. “You can’t hurt me. You could never hurt me.”

He shifted under Cas, lifting his legs to wrap them as far as he could around Cas’s waist, and he reached between them, guiding Cas’s cock to his entrance. Cas still hesitated, his hips locked in place, watching Dean warily. Dean could almost see the internal battle in his head, all the months of stress and worry, their most recent argument, what it meant for them and their future. The future in general, and what it may hold for them. His doubt, which he hid so well Dean had been unsure if he even had any until recently. 

“I love you, Cas.” Dean nodded marginally, his fingertips brushing his jaw gently. “Don’t you ever doubt that, not for a second. No matter what happens.”

Cas nuzzled his hand, chuffing into his palm, and Dean felt a soft tongue lap against his skin. Cas shifted his hips and in one motion was buried inside Dean’s tight heat, the forming knot popping past his rim. Dean groaned and arched as much as he could, slick hole fluttering, his body humming with pleasure at finally having his Alpha inside again. He kept his hand pressed against Cas’s jaw, letting him nip and lick from his palm to his wrist. 

Cas growled, a deep rumbling sound that had Dean’s heart skipping. The Alpha’s mouth was on his, a demanding tongue forcing his lips apart in a hungry kiss. There were claws prickling his sides and he shivered, his cock twitching between their bodies. Each drive of that cock, long and thick, buried deep, had his whole body quaking. Even with a pup inside, fluttering restlessly, his body wanted more. Latched onto that cock tightly, wanting to milk every drop of seed that had yet to be released. 

Dean pulled away breathlessly and clutched tightly to Cas’s arms, dipping his head to press his forehead against Cas’s chest. Cas pushed into him like he was trying to get deeper and deeper with each thrust, one hand coming to rest on the top of Dean’s head, pushing down as he thrust up. He held himself up with the other hand, looking down between their bodies at Dean’s belly and leaking cock. His knot continued to swell, popping wetly in and out, and Cas kept re-adjusting himself, trying to touch all of Dean at once: his face, his chest, his stomach, all without putting his weight against him. 

Cas leaned his weight back on his calves and rolled Dean onto his side, holding Dean’s top leg with one hand as he pushed deeper inside, his other hand holding his belly. The pup moved against his hand rhythmically, and Dean arched and gripped the blanket below him with both hands, rubbing the side of his face against the softness.

“That’s it, Alpha,” Dean moaned, laying his hand over the one of Cas’s that caressed his belly and squeezing. “Breed me up real good, Cas, lock that big knot inside me…”

Cas surged forward, snapping his hips. Cas braced his free arm behind the Omega, bending so he could mouth and bite at Dean’s shoulder. The angle got Cas impossibly deep, his cock stroking every inch of Dean’s convulsing passage, hitting his prostate with each sharp thrust. 

The knot popped inside and locked, swollen and pulsing. Unable to move, Cas circled his hips, rotating and jerking forward. Dean came very suddenly with a sharp cry, back arching and claws digging into the ground as he spilled all over the blanket. Cas moaned and twitched as his knot was massaged, and he spilled his first load deep inside. 

Cas flopped down on his side behind Dean and when his second orgasm hit he pushed inside so hard it almost hurt, and Dean cried out, his body trembling as Cas pulled him down on his pulsing cock by his shoulders. Cas let out a sound somewhere between a groan and a growl, clamping down on his shoulder with sharp fangs as he came a third time. 

Dean pressed his face against the blanket and moaned long and loud as Cas circled his hips through it, his tongue lapping over the bite he’d left, and he could vaguely smell the blood he’d drawn. The scent had the pup excited, practically vibrating in his womb. Cas could sense it, rubbing his hand soothingly over where the pup lay, and Dean whined at all of the overstimulation, his cock desperately twitching and dribbling cum onto the blanket.

He finally felt Cas relax behind him, his rigid muscles going slack, chest heaving, panting into his hair. Dean covered Cas’s hand with his again and squeezed, shifting enough to pull at the knot buried inside him. A growl began building in Cas’s chest and Dean shifted again intentionally, wincing a little in the process. Cas’s warning growl was honestly terrifying, an Alpha growl meant to scare Omegas into submission, even if in this case he was just using it to keep Dean from hurting himself. He half-snarled, half-snapped, and Dean curled back into him, letting himself be nuzzled and groomed again.

Pushy Alpha snarling aside, it felt good to be taken care of. Dean relaxed, closing his eyes as Cas petted and licked and nibbled. The knot gave an occasional twitch, lazy spurts of release coating Dean’s insides. Cas growled softly every time, his hand curling around Dean’s belly possessively. The pup had settled finally, now that his home wasn’t being rocked by Alpha thrusts.

As the sweat cooled on his skin and his heartbeat evened out, Dean opened his eyes and stared up at the night sky. The moon was hanging straight above them now, full and white, with hundreds of stars twinkling around it. He wondered if this new, wild side of Castiel he’d never seen before had anything to do with the full moon. Or if it was simply because Cas had been spending so much time in his wolf form lately that the line between wolf and human was blurring. 

Whatever it was, Dean decided he liked it. It was just another part of Cas; one of the many layers Dean was slowly peeling back. On himself was well. It was as if every time he discovered something new about Cas, his learned something about himself, too. He was a whole different person underneath all of the scars that had defined his life up until now. 

“Are you...you?” Dean asked hesitantly, closing his eyes and humming as Cas ran a hand through his hair and down his neck.

It felt like a long time before Cas answered, still showering him with affection and rocking halfheartedly against him. He tucked his chin into the crook of Dean’s neck, the stubble on his cheek scratching against his jaw. 

“I’m always me,” Cas said finally, fingers flexing against his stomach. 

“You know what I mean.”

Cas sighed, his hand sliding up over Dean’s chest to rest possessively at the base of his throat. He pressed soft kisses to his neck and down to his shoulder, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For…” Cas trailed off, and Dean felt him shake his head incredulously. “For all of that. I tried to rein it in, but sometimes it just gets too hard to overcome. I...I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Dean looked back at Cas and raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t scare me, Cas. I know you won’t hurt me.”

Cas licked his lips and nuzzled into his Omega’s neck. “Still, I...I keep that part of me hidden from you for a reason.”

“Cas,” Dean reached back, tangling his fingers in Cas’s wild hair. “You’re my mate. My Alpha. I don’t want to hide anything from me, even the parts of you that you think will scare me. And, if you recall, I, um...enjoyed it.”

Dean felt the knot slip out, the swelling subsiding, and turned over in Cas’s arms to face him. He wrapped his arm around Cas’s neck and buried his face into all that warm skin, breathing in the familiar scent of bonfire. It smelled sharper, stronger, wilder. 

Cas just held him and stroked his back, the two of them just listening to the sound of crickets chirping and owls hooting. No other wolves dared to howl at the full moon tonight, not with Alpha staking claim on it and his land. 

“Tell me about them,” Dean said, suddenly exhausted, closing his eyes and relaxing into Cas’s embrace. “The old ones. Ones like you.”

“What do you want to know?”

Dean hummed. “What happened to them?”

Cas petted his hair and gave him a full body squeeze. “Well. We used to be plentiful. Of course, that was long before I was born, but my father remembered a time when we were a majority. Alpha and Omega shifters, or those carrying the shifting gene, could potentially help to produce offspring that could shift.”

“And Betas?”

“Betas are neutrals. They don’t have the ability to pass that particular gene to their offspring. That won’t keep their offspring from potentially having it, if their partner possesses the gene, but it can certainly hinder it.” 

Dean hummed again and nodded.

“The times changed. Used to be, in order to preserve the shifter gene pool, shifters needed to reproduce with other shifters, produce a pure bloodline. But as the years wore on and the world started falling apart, people started killing each other, we were more concerned with preserving the ones of us still living than creating new ones. As shifters began to die out, other Alphas who didn’t possess the gene began to hunt us down-”

“Why?”

“Out of fear, or some misplaced jealousy, a power play...who knows? But we were being slaughtered in masses, and we died out so quickly and spent so much time in hiding or fending for our lives that reproduction wasn’t a priority. It should have been.”

Dean looked up at him. “So there aren’t shifters because they were all killed?”

“I feel sure there  _ are _ other shifters, but yes, that’s part of it,” Cas conceded. “We were killed. We were in hiding without proper medical care for our illnesses or injuries. Shifters bred with Betas. They bred within their own families- which eventually began to produce unhealthy pups, many of which died in infancy. The genes began to die out slowly, Omega bodies adapted accordingly. Without the shifter genes, their bodies undercompensated, and they began dying in childbirth… their bodies just not strong enough to withstand the strain, especially without proper medical care.” He paused and swallowed hard. 

“Hey.” Dean pulled his attention down to him with a hand on the back of his head, stroking through the hair as he gave him a small, encouraging smile. “I love you.”

Cas gave him a strained smile back but kissed his forehead. “Love you too, Omega.”

Dean settled back into the crook of Cas’s neck, licking occasionally at the mating bite out some strange base instinct. Dean snorted to himself at the thought of wanting to groom Cas. He was hanging around wolves too much. 

“You said there were carriers?” Dean murmured after a while, his fingers tracing the curves of Cas’s collar bone. “What does that mean?”

“Mm...sort of like squibs in  _ Harry Potter _ ,” Cas shrugged. “They carry the shifting gene, but don’t necessarily possess the ability the shift.”

Dean frowned. “How does that work?”

“Like I said, the shifting gene was dying our, or being diluted,” Cas sighed sadly. “Eventually the gene became so diluted that it became dormant in many Alphas and Omegas. There, but not strong enough to cause any real changes to the body. Now carriers are even rare...the shifter gene has become virtually extinct.” 

Dean’s heart broke at the resignment in Cas’s voice. He’d already accepted that though he may not be the last one, they were rare and scattered enough that he would probably never meet another one. 

“Maybe Rory will shift…?” Dean offered up weakly. 

“Perhaps,” Cas shrugged again. “Bella wasn’t a carrier, though it’s hard to tell nowadays. At the very least she showed no signs of it, and Rory has yet to show signs of shifting.”

“You’re a direct descendant though, right?” Dean raises a brow. “Pure blood or whatever. So she must carry it at least.” 

“Yes,” Cas conceded. “She is a carrier at the very least, but that won’t amount to much without a pureblood Omega for her to mate with.” 

“Which are hard to find…” Dean said slowly.

“Incredibly so.”

Dean tried to piece the information together in his head, wondering how the Omega ring fit- if at all- into the equation. “Do you...do you think it’s possible the Omega ring is a breeding ground for purebreds?”

Cas chewed his lip, slowly shaking his head. “I don’t think so. The Omegas I’ve heard of being taken are not even known carriers, much less part of a pure line. I would think...maybe more so...that the ring is a means to an end of our species. Not that that matters more than the lives of those Omegas, but...another reason to want it gone. It feels personal, on many levels.”

Dean was quiet for several minutes after that, and once he thought Cas might continue on his own, but something about the conversation just made it seem like it warranted a moment of silence, so they allowed it, however briefly. 

“When will you leave again?” Dean finally asked quietly, not sure he wanted to hear the answer, especially after they’d just spent the last several hours making up and trying to move past the resentment of his last outing. 

“I’m sending Benny and Sam to recruit from nearby camps next week. We’ll need an army, of sorts, to eradicate the bads and save all the others in the meantime. No doubt the bads will also have mates and families, and we’ll need to devise a plan for them as well.” Cas paused, swallowing hard. Dean heard his throat click. “I’m sending them to recruit so I can stay here with you, for now. I’m only sending Sam because the camps I’ve yet to talk to will need to hear from an Alpha, or they may not be willing to help. Before that, though, I need to have a pack meeting. About this, about...the possibility of opening the camp to a few more Alphas. I’m not disillusioned to the fact that I’m not longer fit to run the pack by myself. I’m not above admitting when I require assistance. With the addition of new Omegas, new pups...the pack has the potential to become massive. We’ll need to expand. I’m...not confident I can do all of it on my own.”

“I think you could,” Dean said stubbornly, and he really believed that, but he also didn’t like that idea of having other Alphas here permanently. Sam he could learn to trust, but others he wasn’t so sure. 

“It’s risky with other Alphas here,” Dean continued, laying his palm flat over Cas’s chest. “I...I don’t think Sam would do it, but other Alphas might get the idea to undermine you. Maybe even challenge you, as pack Alpha.”

“Yes,” Cas nodded, stroking Dean’s hair. “It’s certainly happened before, with other packs. Alphas...we aren’t geared to share the power, the authority. Too territorial. Too...possessive.” He squeezed Dean briefly. “But it's an option I have to consider. A pack that large would be an around the clock job. I don’t have that sort of energy anymore. And I can’t lean on Benny that much.”

“I don’t like it,” Dean huffed. 

Cas smiled. “I don’t particularly enjoy the idea either. But expanding the pack is a monumental task. We have to figure out housing, food, medical needs…” 

Dean looked up at Cas and frowned. “You would still be  _ Alpha _ , though. Right? I’m not sure I can have other Alphas here, calling the shots…” 

“Ideally, yes,” Cas said slowly. “But as you know, need for control is a general Alpha trait. It would be unfair of me to assume that I would be the only one calling the shots all the time. And whether you want to hear it or not, there are other Alphas, from other camps, even Sam…” he pulled back to look Dean in the eyes, brushing a piece of hair off his forehead, “others that are more energetic, stronger. I’m not getting any younger. Even if I were to be the one in charge now, eventually…” he sighed heavily. “If I were to refuse to share power now, in time, it’s possible that they would feel the need to assert their own dominance. This is usually done in an aggressive manner, meant to force the head Alpha to step down. A literal fight for dominance.”

Dean shook his head. “No, but...you  _ are  _ stronger than them. They can’t shift.”

“That we know of.”

“Cas-”

“It’s nothing we need to concern ourselves with yet. It’s just that the reality is, while I may be stronger than them now, in a few years...I’ll be too old, too tired to fight. I’d be forced to step down, or…”

“Or they’d kill you.”

Cas nodded. “To be indelicate.”

Dean huffed. “Then what?”

“Traditionally?” He raised his brows, and Dean nodded hesitantly. “Well...in the past, when an old Alpha chose to step down and a new one took its place, the new Alpha banished them. They couldn’t afford to have the old Alpha there, especially if his or her people revered them. It was considered a conflict of interest. They feared their people rising up against them.”

“That’s...stupid,” Dean snorted and rolled his eyes. “Even if the Alpha is old, he can still offer up wisdom and advice.”

Cas hummed. “Yes, but it’s also a battle against instincts. With two Alphas around, Omegas and Betas become conflicted. They are naturally inclined to obey their Alpha. So the older members of a pack would turn on the new Alpha, while the newer members would ignore the advice of the older Alpha. Eventually the pack would split apart.” He sighed and shrugged. “As cold as it may seem, the safest thing to do as the older Alpha is to leave. For the sake of the pack. That’s where lone wolves come from. Old Alphas who don’t have a pack anymore.” 

“Okay, but…” Dean shifted onto his back, laying his palms across his stomach. “What about that Alpha’s mate? His pups?”

Cas licked his lips. “It used to depend on the condition of the Omega. If the Alpha had a young, fertile Omega, the new Alpha usually made a claim.” 

Dean blanched noticeably, looking at Cas with a horrified expression. “He would take the old Alpha’s mate?” 

Cas nodded solemnly. “It’s a bit archaic, but yes. Omegas were...well, much like they are treated now. Objects for breeding. If the Omega still had breeding years left, the new Alpha laid claim to him or her.”

“Does...does that happen now?” Dean asked, voice trembling. 

Cas sighed and pressed his lips together, sliding his hand down from Dean’s hair to cup the side of his face, looking him in the eyes. “Not here. Not as long as I’m breathing.”

Cas was never one to lie to him, but Dean knew what that meant. Anything was possible in the world they lived in. The camp, the pack, and Cas helped to shelter Dean from the things out there- from the things he’d seen himself out there- but just because it hadn’t happened here didn’t mean it wasn’t still happening somewhere.

Dean swallowed hard. “But what if-”

Cas shook his head with a huff as he leaned forward to press their lips together, effectively silencing Dean for the moment, his thoughts included. After awhile they broke apart and Cas sat up, pulling Dean up with him. He handed him his shirt, stopping long enough to kiss his belly and swipe his hand lovingly across it before standing, then helping Dean to his feet after he’d shrugged on his shirt.

“C’mon, let’s head back. You both need some sleep.”

Dean nodded and struggled to get his jeans back on before Cas noticed and helped him into them, then got dressed himself. Cas balled the blanket up and tucked it under his arm, then laced an arm around Dean’s waist. He steadied him as he slipped his shoes back on, and they started back down the path towards home.


	5. Chapter 5

“You sure you don’t want me to stay?”

Dean sighed and stretched his feet out across the futon, moaning when Cas immediately began massaging his swollen ankles. 

“I’ll be fine,” he mumbled with little conviction. “Think you just wanna stay because you don’t like another Alpha, alone with me, in your personal space.”

“Well,” Cas paused, then shrugged a shoulder. “True, but I also know how...anxious you are, about talking to him. Being near another Alpha, family member or not.”

“Not exactly my idea of a fun afternoon,” Dean admitted, tapping a finger on his belly. “It’s something I have to do alone, though. Besides…” he tilted his head and smirked, “I know my Alpha is going to be close by, ready to bust down the door if Sam even so much as sniffs me funny.”

“Not gonna be sniffing you at all,” Cas muttered darkly, lip twitching in a light snarl. 

Dean snorted and wondered how Alphas managed to get through the day with all that testosterone oozing out their pores. 

“If it makes you feel any better,” Cas continued, “I’m sure he’s just as scared of you as you are of him.”

Dean scowled and lazily kicked his foot at him, but Cas caught it and resumed his massage, and Dean unwillingly let out a moan and flopped back out on the futon. 

“So do you have any idea what you’re gonna say to him?”

“Not really,” Dean admitted, closing his eyes and draping an arm over them. “Just gonna wing it, I guess. There’s not really a manual on how to deal with situations like these.”

“Fair enough.” Cas massaged for another few minutes, then carefully moved Dean’s legs onto the cushion of the futon and stood. He called for Rory and she came bounding out from her room- with no shoes on, of course- and he sent her back for them, then turned back to Dean, patting his leg gently. 

“Alright, well we’re gonna head on down to the camp. I’m actually gonna have Benny watching the door from outside up here. I wanted to stay myself, but he made a good point...Sam’s already nervous about this, just like you are, and the last thing he needs is another Alpha setting him on edge.” 

Dean moved his arm to look up at him, giving him a sad half smile. “I guess I get it.”

Cas sighed and sat on the edge of the futon, cupping Dean’s face and kissing his forehead, then his nose, then his lips. “You can do this. In an hour it’ll be done, and you’ll both feel better about things. Yeah? Look at it that way.”

Den looked unconvinced, but nodded and gave Cas a quick kiss on the lips. “Yeah, fine,” he grumbled. “An hour. I want you back here in an hour.” Whether the conversation went good or bad, he didn’t want to prolong it. 

“Of course,” Cas said, straightening and looking over his shoulder. “It doesn’t take that long to put on shoes, child of mine. Let’s go.”

Dean smirked when he heard Rory huff and slumped out of the room, coming up to Dean to give him a hug and kiss. 

“I don’t wanna leave mama,” she said, looking up at Cas.

“We’ve gone over this already,” Cas clicked his tongue and grabbed her hand. “Mama will be fine without us. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind a break. It’s a lot of work, taking care of the two of us.”

Rory rolled her eyes and begrudgingly let Cas drag her out the door. Dean sighed when the door shut and he was left alone, drumming his fingers on his swollen belly. Cas, to his credit, seemed to be trying to do everything within his power to make up for his time spent away. He also spent the better part of the morning trying to distract Dean from the meeting with Sam, which he appreciated, despite the thought never leaving his mind. They cuddled in bed that morning for hours, long past the time that Cas normally got up, and when Rory woke up she joined them, plopping down between them and snuggling up to Dean’s belly. Cas eventually got up to make them breakfast, serving it to the two of them in bed as Rory read some of their book. It was perfect, really, and Dean was already dreading when he’d have to leave again...and so close to his due date. True, he had Missouri there, and when it came down to it she was the only one who could really be helpful during the birth. And Dean  _ had  _ gotten stronger, especially during Cas’s absence, because he had to be. He could do it without Cas. He just didn’t want to.

Dean was so wrapped up in his thoughts that when the knock came at the door, he almost jumped out of his skin. He took a deep breath and hoisted himself up off the futon, pausing briefly with his hand on the doorknob. Another deep breath, a slow exhale, and he pulled it open.

Sam stood on the other side kind of awkwardly, looking much taller than Dean remembered him. His hair had grown out a little from the last time he’d seen him, shaggy and some of it falling down in his eyes. He wore an old rust and cream colored plaid shirt that looked at least a size too big for him, but Dean supposed it was probably hard for him to find clothes long enough for his torso that also fit his slim frame. 

“Hey, Dean,” he said easily, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. He gestured forward at Dean, letting the hand drop to his side. “Ya look good. Been...awhile.”

“I look like a bloated cow,” Dean said flatly, blinking up at the Alpha. Jesus, the guy was stupidly tall. Dean was large for an Omega and was used to at least being on par with Alphas as far as height and stature, but this guy made him feel like a wisp.

Sam’s jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered and cleared his throat. “N-no, no not at all. You’re- I mean, it’s-”

“It’s fine,” Dean said, stepping aside and letting Sam through the doorway. He shut the door with a little more force than necessary, then mentally kicked himself for behaving so defensively. It was such a knee jerk reaction around Alphas, even ones as seemingly kind as Sam.

“Just, um, make yourself at home,” Dean licked his lips, running his hand through his short hair. “Do you, uh, want anything to drink? Cas made tea…”

“Oh yes, please,” Sam said, taking a seat on the futon as he looked around curiously. His face was open, kind, though his eyes were guarded and Dean recognized the look instantly. Sam had his own pain, too. His own scars, even if they weren’t visible.

Dean poured him a mug and received a soft ‘thank you’ from him. Dean dragged the chair from Rory’s room and lowered himself down, but not before Sam jumped up looking distressed.

“Oh, God, I didn’t even think. Do you want the futon?” he asked, his hands twitching. “I can just-”

“No, no,” Dean waved his hand. “It’s fine. Tell you the truth it’s getting hard to get in and out of that thing.” He snorted. 

“Right.” Sam scrubbed a hand down his face and gave an anxious look around before sitting again. He took a sip of his tea and sat the mug back down, then clasped his hands together between his knees and cleared his throat, looking everywhere but at Dean. 

“So I guess we better, uh-”

“Yeah,” Sam said quickly, nodding. “Yeah. Uh...listen, I, uh...I wanted to talk to you a long time about about all this, but the timing just didn’t seem right, and I wasn’t  _ sure _ -”

“Yeah, I get it.” Dean leaned back in his chair and laid a hand on his belly. “I went through the same thing. I knew it was  _ something  _ but I didn’t know what, and when I realized I didn’t know how to approach it…” he hesitated, chewing his lip. “You’ve gotta understand, I d- I didn’t know how to be a part of a family- a part of anything- until I came here. And I’m still learning exactly what it means to be a part of a pack… to be a mate. It’s all new to me. So if... _ if  _ what we think is true, you’re just...you’ll have to be patient with me.”

Sam furrowed his brow slightly and his features softened. “Yeah...yeah, of course, Dean. I wouldn’t just expect you to...I don’t know...it’s just, Eileen made a really good point about families sticking together and the pups and it just made sense to find out, you know?”

“Yeah.” They were both silent for a while, Sam glancing around nervously and Dean looking down at the hand resting on his stomach. “So...how do we...know for sure, then?”

Sam huffed a laugh and shook his head. “I dunno. I mean, I guess...do you remember anything at all, about your parents?”

Dean sighed and rubbed at his belly, feeling Jack stir lazily. “Not much. Mom...she had blonde hair, I think. Dad’s was...darker. Mom used to tell me angels were watching over me when she put me to bed. She’d sing...I dunno what song it was. Don’t remember much else about Dad…” Dean shook his head. “Not much to go on. They abandoned me pretty young.”

Sam frowned down at his mug. If they were brothers, then Sam had to accept the fact his parents left a helpless pup to die. It wasn’t exactly something to be proud of.

“My mom...she’s blonde,” Sam said after a moment. “Well, used to be, I guess. I tease about the grays now.” He huffed a laugh, but quickly sobered. “Not too sure about the angel part, but she definitely sings. Well, hums mostly.”

Dean swallowed, eyes on his belly. “So...so she’s alive. Your mom.”

Sam nodded. “Yeah. She lives at my camp.”

“And she...never...mentioned-?”

“No. No, she-” Sam scratched nervously at the back of his head. “She never told me about any siblings. Not in so many words, but...some of the things she’d said, now that we’re being faced with...all this,” he gestured between them, “everything kind of started to make sense. I wanted to ask her, but she’s strong-willed, mom. So I didn’t want to make her shut down. I asked her once if she’d ever wanted other kids, why she didn’t have others. She…” Sam looked up at Dean and pressed his lips together. “She just cried.”

Dean didn’t know what to say, so he just scoffed and shook his head, staring down at the floor.

“Listen, Dean. What little I remember of John Winchester, he was a tyrant. Mom is Omega. We both know what that means.”

“Means...she probably didn’t have a choice.”

“Exactly.”

Dean sighed and braced a hand on his stomach, sitting up to eye Sam carefully. He felt a strange sense of power, being able to look Sam in the eye without flinching, without being afraid. Without his heart hammering out of his chest. For the first time since they’d met, Sam looked young to him, small, like a little kid. 

“And so...your dad-”

“ _ John _ ,” Sam corrected, and Dean paused for a moment. Sam looked sincere, detached, and Dean finally blinked, licked his lips, and nodded.

“Right. John.” He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “He’s not-”

“Nope.”

“Is he dead?”

“Dunno,” Sam sat back on the futon, shrugging. “Honestly, I didn’t grow up close to him. He was mean, crass, abusive. He and mom were mated when she had barely gone into her first heat. It’s unclear if it was mutual or not, but the way mom acts, I’d say not. But as soon as I was old enough to notice, John was never really around his family much. He’d make us move to different places and all, cause he wanted to be a pack Alpha somewhere, but once we were there he didn’t pay us much mind. It was all just Alpha politics to him. Except...he wasn’t an honest politician.”

Sam paused and looked out the window, down the hill to the camp. Dean just waited.

“He didn’t have any respect for Omegas. And what I liked about this area was that everyone we came across seemed to. Everyone near Eden.”

Dean quirked a smile, feeling ridiculously proud of Cas and the impact he’d had on so many around him. He was decently modest about it, but Dean knew how incredible it was, especially the way the world was now.

“Anyway…” Sam continued, “we came to the camp we’re at now. The Alpha there had grown old, decided he wanted to step down himself. His mate had died years before, pups had grown up and left. He wanted to go out on his own. John wanted to be the Alpha of the camp. I was still decently young...seventeen years. But I knew that couldn’t happen. All the Omegas there that depending on a benevolent Alpha...I couldn’t let John have control over them. So I challenged him. I challenged him, and I won. And I banished him.”

Dean gaped. “But...but your mom-”

“Dean, mom was miserable. We were both miserable. She never thanked me for it explicitly, but she didn’t have to. I saved her. All of those Omegas, I saved them.” He looked down, seemed to remember his tea, and raised it to his lips, taking a long sip. “Then years later I met Castiel, and he had similar aspirations as the old Alpha, and same ones I did. The same ones I  _ do _ . He’s the first Alpha, aside from that old Alpha at my camp, who I’ve ever truly respected.”

Dean nodded slowly, his eyes sliding to the window as he looked down at the camp. Cas was the  _ only  _ Alpha Dean respected, although he could see growing to respect Sam. Challenging his own dad at only seventeen was pretty ballsy, and the fact that he’d won showed he was either very strong or very clever. Dean glanced at Sam and decided it was probably both. Dean was suddenly very glad for those other Omegas. They’d gotten very lucky.

“You know,” Sam cleared his throat. “When...when we ran into each other. Literally,” he huffed a laugh, “I thought I was going crazy. Couldn’t get your smell out of my head.”

Dean frowned, shifting uncomfortably, and Sam quickly waved his hand.

“Not like  _ that _ ,” Sam quirked a smile. “Actually, it’s almost because it wasn’t like that. Omegas always smell, well...  _ alluring _ to Alphas. Some are stronger than others, but it’s always there. Even if an Alpha is mated. With you, though, it just smelled like family. It reminded me of my mom.”

Dean grazed his lip with his teeth and looked down at his belly. “I...well, I suppose it was the same for me. But your smell...it also reminded me of my dad, what little I can remember of him. Not exactly like him, though. Otherwise I probably couldn’t stand to be around you.”

“Fair enough,” Sam nodded. “I hate that I even remotely remind you of him, but...if we are brothers, I suppose we can’t really help genetics.”

Dean nodded and looked at Sam a bit nervously. “So you think...you think we’re…”

Sam sighed and ran a hand through his long hair. “Logically, we need a bit more evidence, but my gut says...yeah. I think so. Stories seem to add up. We could always...uh, scent, to make sure.”

Dean twitched and looked away. Sam was right. A proper scenting would do the trick. Even if their minds didn’t know, their instincts would. Dean’s never really experienced himself, having no family around, but he remembered asking Cas about something a while back. They’d been talking about Rory and what she might present as. Dean had ignorantly wondered what would happen if she presented Omega, and how having another Omega around might affect Cas. Cas had explained it wasn’t really like that with families. That Rory smelled like  _ pup, family, pack _ . She always would, regardless of her dynamic. He said it was like that with all families. They scent and they just... _ know _ , like how some mates find each other, minus the sexual aspect.

“We don’t have to right now, you know, if you’re not comfortable with that,” Sam said quickly, waving a hand. “We can build up to it, or...I dunno, whatever you want. Obviously I don’t wanna...make this any more difficult than it already is-”

“No no, I want to,” Dean said. “Sorry, just...hard to break habit, you know?” He scooted forward in his chair and started to stand, and Sam got to his feet and held out his hands, still standing a little further away than necessary. Dean eyed him for a few seconds before taking them, and Sam helped pull him easily to his feet.

“Okay, so, how do we-”

Sam bit his lip, then let it slide out between his teeth. He raised his eyebrows, flapping a hand toward Dean. “You...how about, you just scent me? Yeah? I’ll just stand here, and you can get as close or as far away as you want, and I won’t move. I promise.”

Dean eyed him for a moment and kind of wish Cas were here. Not that he didn’t trust Sam necessarily, but he felt odd scenting another Alpha in their home. “Okay,” he finally murmured. He hesitated then stepped forward and Sam didn’t move as promised, keeping stiff as Dean slowly hovered near his neck. Dean blinked and could hear Sam’s heart beating. The young Alpha was nervous, but showing no signs of any kind of aggression.

Dean steeled himself and, very briefly, touched his nose to Sam’s neck. He took a deep breath, taking in the smell of leather and woodsmoke, and...yes,  _ family _ . His Omega senses told him Alpha, but it wasn’t a smell that had him fighting the instinct to obey, to present. It was simply Alpha, family,  _ brother _ . It was instantly calming and Dean relaxed into it, inhaling deeply and letting the memories of his mom flood back to him. He could almost see her now, although the exact characteristics of her face were still fuzzy, he could picture her hair, the sound of her voice. He vaguely could remember the words of the song she used to sing, hear the melody in his head.

He hadn’t realized that he’d stepped a little closer and laid his other hand on the side of Sam’s neck until Sam shifted a little uncomfortably, clearing his throat. Dean snapped his eyes open, dropped his hand, and stepped back again quickly, his face flushing a bright red.

“I- I’m sorry, I-”

“No, don’t be, I get it,” Sam said, waving a hand dismissively. “I just...wanted to reciprocate, but I, well…”

“Right.” Dean chewed his lip, watching him curiously. He could see a little bit of his mom in him now, now that he really looked at him, now that he’d kind of seen her again. He smelled harmless, gentle, similar to how Cas had when he met him, as far as his disposition. 

Without a word, Dean tilted his head and exposed his neck. Not overly submissive, like he would for Cas, but it was friendly. Sam hesitated, looking torn between his instincts and his need to keep Dean comfortable. 

“Are you sure? I don’t have-“ 

“You’re my brother,” Dean said, the words feeling strange on his tongue, the statement heavy in the air. “You haven’t done anything to make me you’d hurt me or my pup. I’m not afraid of you.” 

Sam blinked, swallowed, and leaned forward. He still kept a respectful distance, barely hovering over Dean’s neck, and inhaled deeply. He felt more than saw Sam instantly relax and lean in closer, a hand coming up then falling seconds later. Dean wouldn’t argue with that for now. He was trusting, yes, but they weren’t familiar enough yet for an embrace. 

Sam’s eyes were still closed when he stepped back, and when he finally opened them, he nodded subtly. Dean wasn’t sure if he was imagining his misty eyes or if he actually was emotional about the entire exchange. He’d welcomed Sam inside their home just a mere fifteen minutes ago as a stranger, and now they both knew they were in the presence of a brother. It was a strange and surprisingly good feeling.

“Dean, um-” Sam’s voice caught in his throat, and he cleared it loudly. “Mom, she’s...she’s gonna…” he let out a breath. “She doesn’t even know you’re alive.”

“I shouldn’t be,” Dean said a little bitterly. “Drop a five-year-old kid in the woods to fend for themselves, you don’t expect them to live.”

“Right.” Sam rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck, casting his eyes downward. “But Dean, she...she’d want to know. I don’t believe for a second that abandoning you was what she wanted.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that she did.”

“I understand,” Sam said calmly, slowly. “But think of it from her perspective. You know as well as I do-  _ better _ than I do- what it’s like for an Omega… especially under an Alpha’s claim. John Winchester was a big man, a scary man. She’s afraid, every day of her life, that he’s going to find his way back and force her to go with him. And he laid a claim, she bears his bite...she’d have no choice. Unless another Alpha interfered. Which is why, on top of this being an Omega only compound, I spend the majority of my time there...to protect her.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Eileen will join me there, once the pup is born and old enough. But I asked her to come now, during the pregnancy, and she flat out refused. She may be mated to me, but Cas is still her Alpha too. She respects him, she’s loyal to him. He gave her a life she wouldn’t have had otherwise.” He shrugged. “I get it. Just makes all this...much more difficult.”

Dean knew this was all well and logical, that Omegas really have very little choice when it comes to what their Alphas want. They were biologically engineered to obey, to submit. It would have been easy for him to force Mary to leave, being as big and strong as he was. Dean also knew, however, that the instinct to protect one’s own pup was strong as well. He’d felt it already with Jack, with Rory. He couldn’t imagine abandoning one, not for anyone. Not even if Cas has tried to drag him by his claws. Then again, he had the fortune of having an Alpha who would never do such a thing. 

“Look,” Dean sighed and rubbed at his belly, finding comfort in his pup’s gentle movements. “You can tell her, if you want. If you’d think she’d care. But I’m not interested in meeting her, and I don’t know that I ever will be. You can spew all that Alpha and Omega logic all you want. She left me to die and that’s that. I’m not going to invite her into a life that she never gave me the chance to have. I’m not...saying I hate her, I just don't feel I owe her anything, and that includes seeing her.” 

Sam frowned, eyes looking for very much like a puppy’s. “But, if she had the chance to talk to you-“ 

“Why?” Dean demanded. “So she can make her excuses? Feel better about herself since I survived? Say she’s sorry? Sorry doesn’t get me anywhere and it certainly doesn’t change what she did. What I had to go through.” His anger rose, and he tried desperately not to lose control. He rucked his shirt up, exposing the marred skin of his belly, skin that only a handful of people had ever seen. “You see these? These scars are from Alpha claws. An Alpha who otherwise wouldn’t have found me if I had my parents around.” 

Sam sucked in a breath. He stepped back and dropped back down onto the futon, sliding his hands down his face.

“Dean, I-"

“She doesn't deserve to know me. She doesn't deserve to know my pups.” Tears welled in his eyes as he let the shirt drop back down, hiding his shame. 

“I… Dean, I didn't know. I had… no…” Sam's voice hitched, and he swallowed hard, and yeah, he was definitely crying now. “I had no idea. God, I am so sorry. I just wish…”

“Nothing can be done about it now.” Dean shrugged. 

“Had I known… known about you, I would've…” Sam let his eyes drop to Dean's stomach again, his mouth hanging halfway open, shaking his head. 

Dean was taken aback by the emotion coming off Sam and for a moment he wasn’t sure what to do. Having a brother was something he was going to need time to adjust to; having one who actually genuinely seemed to  _ care _ was something else entirely. He’d gotten so used to not having family, knowing his parents hadn’t cared enough to stick around. Now he had a brother who not only wanted to stick around, but who also grieved for the pain Dean had suffered from.

“Not your fault,” Dean said, softening his voice. “Wasn’t like you were there. And I’m not going to punish you for what they did.” He shuffled over to the futon and lowered himself down beside Sam. “I’m not sure what you’re wanting out of this, and I’m not even sure what I want either.” Dean snorted and shook his head. “I have no idea how to be a big brother. Right now I look more like the ugly sister.” He gestured to his stomach and huffed. “But if you want...we can get to know each other. Try and figure out how to be a family.”

Sam ran a hand back and forth over his mouth and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He nodded, looking back at Dean. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.”

Dean gave a stiff nod back, then wordlessly got up and took Sam’s half empty mug back into the kitchen and refilled it. He sat back down and let Sam have another moment before they continued their talk, about different things, for the rest of the hour. Sam talked to him a little bit about his childhood, leaving out John altogether and as much of their mother as he could. He told him about taking over as Alpha, about meeting Cas, about meeting Eileen, about their decision to mate. He talked about the pup and how excited he was to be a father. Dean told him little, apart from his life since he’d been at Eden. The rest of it was far too heavy for so soon in the relationship, especially after only one small aspect of it had him so upset. 

Sam was only twenty-one years old, Dean discovered, although they let it go unsaid that it meant that their mother was likely pregnant with him when Dean was abandoned. He asked about Rory, about how she’d been doing and if he could start spending a little more time with her. 

“That’s, uh…” Dean hesitated, drumming his fingers against the armrest. “I mean, eventually, yes. Just...let me talk to Cas first. We need to figure out how all this is gonna go, set a pace for everything, make sure she understands-”

“Of course,” Sam said quickly, waving a hand. “I just...look, even if all this wasn’t happening, she’s a great kid. Eileen and I both really enjoy spending time with her. But we can wait as long as you guys need, to talk to her and while we all hash things out together.”

Dean nodded, grateful that Sam was understanding. Truthfully, Dean knew Rory would be perfectly fine with it all. She was a sociable kid and intelligent enough to understand who and what Sam was. It was Dean who was hesitant. Now that he had his family he was reluctant to share them, even knowing how silly that was. 

“Just until I talk to her,” Dean murmured. “She’s... _ we _ are going through a lot right now. I don’t want to pile anything else on her that might cause her more stress.”

Sam nodded and smiled. “Yeah, I imagine having her dad gone so much isn’t easy. And...having your mate gone can’t be too much fun either.” He sighed and looked away briefly. “I hate being away from Eileen so much, but being Alpha does that. Taking care of a pack, especially one as large as this...it’s a lot of work. And Cas is hellbent on finding that Omega ring.”

“Yeah,” Dean muttered, a little bitterly. “I guess you’re in on all of that now, too, huh?”

Sam looked at him and finally nodded slowly. “Yes. It’s important. It’s just...time consuming. Exhausting. At times tedious. We’re getting close, though. Finally.”

“Just miss him when he’s not here,” Dean grumbled softly, picking at a piece of lint on his pants. “I know what he- what you all are doing- I know that it’s important. I know it needs to be done, I admire all of you for doing it. But he’s been gone for more of my pregnancy than he’s been here, and...it’s easy to start resenting, when I haven’t seen him for awhile, you know? And when he leaves again, I’ll be huge when he gets back, and that’s even  _ if _ -” the words died on his tongue and he shook his head, looking down as he flicked the lint onto the floor. 

“I get it, Dean. I go through the same thing with Eileen.” Sam leaned forward, clasping his hands between his knees, watching him. “And Cas...he hates it as much as you do. He talks about you all the time. Did you know that? To us, to the Alphas of the packs we meet...the benevolent ones, of course. He’s proud. Of you, of Rory. He’s excited about the pup. I know by the time he gets here he’s probably exhausted and you’re probably...well, resentful...but you should know that. He doesn’t seem to want to be gone any more than you do.”

Dean blushed at the thought of Cas talking him up, but he couldn’t say he was too surprised. He had every right to be proud of Rory and he was always passing the credit onto Dean for practically everything. Frustrating to no end, but it was impossible to argue with a stubborn Alpha. Dean supposed he would do the same thing if he were around people who didn’t already know how amazing his pup and mate were.

“I’ll try to remember that,” he sighed, “when I start feeling bitter again. I know he hates it, too. Every time he comes back he looks so drained and...this last time I pushed him. Even while I was doing it, I hated myself for it. Last thing he needs is to come home to a bitter ol’ Omega. Just...the emotions get going and I can’t stop them.”

Sam nodded and looked down at his hands, clasped over his lap. “It’s a tough situation for everyone. I think Cas tries to shoulder the world sometimes and everyday we don’t find that ring is another failure he puts on himself. Half the time I don’t even think he sleeps, hardly eats. By the time we are trekking back to camp he’s dead on his feet, but he doesn’t let us stop. He just wants to get home to you.”

Dean slid a hand over his belly where Jack had begun to kick, and he gave a small smile. “I’m just ready for it to be over. I want him here with us. I want those Omegas safe, and I want my pups to grow up without having to fear for their lives. Or their father’s life.”

“Or their mother’s,” Sam pointed out.

Dean looked up at him and nodded, lips pressed together. “Yeah. Just… hope of a world that’s maybe not so broken...for them.”

Sam nodded solemnly, looking down at his hands.

“Sam.”

He looked up at Dean, who held the part of his stomach where his squirming pup laid, and he slid forward in his chair, looking at Sam sincerely.

“I know Cas can take care of himself, but...when he’s not here, I worry. I...please, just have his back. I know he doesn’t need protecting, that he’s strong, that-”

“That he can shift?”

Dean opened his mouth and closed it again, nodding slowly. “Yes. But he needs backup. I know he’s got it from Benny, but...it’d make me feel better, knowing he’s got it from you, too.”

“You didn’t even have to ask,” Sam said. “I respect Cas and I’d never let anything happen to him as long as I could do something about it. Not after what he’s done for Eileen, what he’s done for me. You have my word.”

Dean sighed and nodded, and they talked for a few minutes longer before Dean realized they were over the hour. Cas was probably on his way back, with Rory no doubt running ahead of him-

Dean snorted when he heard small feet hitting the wood of the porch and mentally rolled his eyes. He knew that girl too well. 

“Mama!” She said, flinging the door open. “We’re home! Papa said- Sam?”

Dean looked over his shoulder at his pup, who had her head tilted in a startling imitation of Cas. 

“Rory, I told you not to- oh,” Cas walked in a moment later, looking genuinely surprised that Sam was still there. “Hello, Sam.” He glanced at Dean with a carefully neutral expression, raising an eyebrow. 

Dean smiled at the silent question and Cas relaxed, shutting the door behind him. 

“Hey, Cas,” Sam smiled. “Rory. I was just, uh, we were just chatting.” 

“Did you come to play with me, Sam?” Rory asked innocently, and Cas laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly.

“I think Sam came to see Dean, Rory,” he said gently.

“But-”

“Tell you what, kid,” Sam stood and walked over to her, kneeling down in front of her. “As long as it’s okay with Cas and Dean, you can come hang out with me and Eileen later. I have a couple new books now that I think you’ll really like. Sound good?”

She nodded vigorously and Sam squeezed her hand and winked, then stood and nodded at Cas. Cas inclined his head in acknowledgement. 

“Well,” Sam said somewhat awkwardly, letting his hands fall to his thighs with a slap. “I guess I’ll give the three of you- ah,  _ four  _ of you-” he gestured to Dean and Dean looked down, blushing, “I’ll give you your privacy.”

Dean nodded and gave him a smile.

Sam looked like he wanted to take a step toward him, but he stopped and just raised a hand in an awkward wave. “Thank you for talking to me, Dean. I’d like to do it again sometime soon, when you’re up for it.” He looked back at Cas. “As long as it’s okay.”

Cas shrugged. “If that’s what Dean wants.”

Dean snorted. It was a weird dynamic- what with Cas and Sam both having similar beliefs, as Alphas- that Omegas were their own entities just as capable as anyone else of making their own decisions, and Sam not wanting to overstep his boundaries while in Cas’s territory. Dean knew neither of them believed in an Omega needing to get permission from their Alpha to do anything, and yet Sam still asked out of respect. The entire politics thing could be so entertaining sometimes.

Sam raised a brow at Dean then smiled, waving to them both again before he left. Dean let out a long sigh and leaned back against the futon, glad to have that over with. He still wasn’t sure how involved he wanted to be with Sam and the whole ‘one big happy family thing’, but he had to admit it had its appeal. 

“So?” Cas asked quietly, taking a seat beside him and grabbing his hand. Rory snuggled up on the other side, placing a small hand on Dean’s belly. 

“Yes,” Dean said simply, glancing at Rory. Cas hummed in understanding, squeezing his hand. 

Rory looked up at both of them. “Yes what?”

“Boring grown up stuff,” Cas smiled. “You wouldn’t be interested.” 

She clearly didn’t believe him and huffed. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?” 

Dean quirked a smile and kissed her forehead. “Not yet. It’s...complicated. Give mama some time.” 

She laid her head against his side without another word, and Jack stretched out contentedly against her hand.

\----

The next couple of weeks went easily, and Cas, as promised, spent the good majority of his days there with Dean and Rory. He’d leave for a few hours every couple of days to prepare and plan with Benny and Bobby, and Sam, when he was at the camp. Meanwhile, Sam was organizing some of his strongest at his own camp, and they were preparing to go back out to some of the benevolent Alphas at the camps they’d visited to request the same from them. 

He’d spread word around the camp that they’d have a meeting to inform everyone of their plan and what to expect after the Omega ring was infiltrated. Everyone was already decently informed of the situation, but Cas felt it was only fair to give them an official warning about the potential for more people at the camp. They’d have to prepare for the extra space and additional mouths to feed. 

And Cas was  _ nervous. Anxious.  _ Dean had never seen anything like it before, not with him. He was extra meticulous and almost overly attentive. He’d bitten his nails down to the quick and was smoking twice as much as he normally did. Dean didn’t push him to talk about it, because he didn’t want to let Cas know how obvious his fretting was, since he knew it would make him feel like he wasn’t doing his job. Alphas weren’t supposed to show those kinds of emotions, weren’t supposed to let their mate or pups know that they were afraid of anything.

But Dean wasn’t going to let him chew his fingers down to bloody stubs, either. 

While Cas had yet another meeting with Benny and Bobby, discussing over what they would cover in tomorrow’s camp wide meeting, Dean quietly sent Rory off to Charlie’s. The pup surprisingly didn’t argue, and Dean got the feeling she was sensing the unrest in the pack. The tension in the air, and the exhaustion coming off her papa each day. Dean was once again grateful for the girl’s eerie intelligence. 

He worked carefully on dinner, cooking the fish into almost- perfection, seasoning the potatoes just right, and boiling up some greens that didn’t make him gag. By the time it was almost ready, Dean felt like an Omega worthy of an Alpha such as Cas, though he knew Cas would tell him he already was. 

Dean got Cas’s favorite tea going, and opened up a window so the Alpha could smoke after dinner, though he knew Cas would still insist on going outside so Dean didn’t have to accidentally breathe any of it in. Cas didn’t really prefer him in any particular outfit or anything, he realized, as he considered trying to wear something “special”. He knew if he were to ask Cas would say he preferred him completely nude, but Dean refused to be the literal version of barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, not that Cas would care for the connotation that brought to a male Omega anyway. Ysabella had been basically the picture of femininity, with her slender frame and soft features, and Dean felt that he couldn’t be further from that if he tried. Aside from the obvious difference, he was tall- actually slightly taller than Cas- and broad, scarred, with rough hands. Cas did tell him all the time how pretty his eyes were, and that he had gorgeous lips, that he loved his freckles...but none of those were things exclusive to femininity, anyway. As far as Cas was concerned, he saw Dean as a perfect vision of masculinity, big pregnant belly and all, and he  _ loves _ him. What he wore- or didn’t wear- didn’t matter.

The ancient tea kettle screamed just as Cas opened the door, as if it was announcing his presence, and Dean wordlessly walked over with a mug to remove the kettle from the fire and pour Cas a cup. He turned back to find Cas watching him with a curious look on his face, his head tilted to the side. Dean crossed to the futon and looked at Cas, then patted the back cushion of the futon. 

“Sit.”

“What-”

“Dammit, Cas, just sit,” Dean said a little more firmly, staring Cas down until he finally moved toward him with a smirk. He took the mug from Dean and sat down slowly, watching him the entire time. 

“Rory’s with Charlie for the night, and I made dinner and your favorite tea, and you’re going to spend this evening with me without thinking about anything to do with your trip or the meeting tomorrow. Got it?”

Cas sighed and rubbed at his eyes with his free hand. “Dean-”

“Non-negotiable, Cas,” Dean said quickly, leaning down and pecking him on the lips. Cas looked up at him wearily, but he finally smiled, reaching up to cup his jaw as he kissed him again.

They pulled apart and Cas looked over at the stove, breathing in the different aromas of cooking food. His stomach gurgled as he sipped his tea. 

“You did all this for me?” Cas asked, blinking up at Dean. 

Dean shrugged modestly. “Nothing too special,” he mumbled, tugging at his shirt in an old, nervous gesture. 

Cas’s smile widened. “I have the perfect Omega.” 

“I’m not sure-“ 

“Non-negotiable, Dean.” 

Dean snapped his jaw shut and he huffed at having his words thrown back at him. He rolled his eyes and shuffled over to the stove, checking on the fish for the hundredth time. It looked ready, as did everything else, and Dean didn’t want to burn anything again. He pulled everything onto two plates and sat next to Cas, handing one of the plates over. 

“This looks amazing, Dean,” Cas said softly. 

Again, Dean just shrugged. “Not burned, at least.” 

Cas clicked his tongue and leaned forward, kissing Dean gently on the cheek. “You’re much too modest, Omega,” he breathed. Dean shivered and cleared his throat. 

“And you’re a sweet talker. Eat your fish.” 

Cas huffed a laugh but did as he was told, not saying another word until he’d cleaned his plate. Dean ate a little more slowly, trying to avoid dealing with the inevitable heartburn that was always worse when he ate too quickly. Cas sipped his tea as Dean was finishing up, his arm draped around him and laying across the back of the futon.

“So,” he said when Dean had finished, “what’s all this about, anyway?” He got up and took their plates to the kitchen, quirking an eyebrow on his way back. “Not that I’m complaining, but…”

“I just wanted to do something nice for you,” Dean said innocently, passing him the joint he’d already pulled out for him as Cas settled back onto the futon. Cas looked at him skeptically but took it, rolling it over in his fingers.

Dean sighed. “It’s just...you’ve been working so hard, and you seemed a little...tense. So I wanted you to relax, just for a couple of hours.”

“Dean, I’m fine.”

“Cas,” Dean said, giving him a disbelieving look. “I get it, you have a lot going on. It’s okay to just be...tired. It’s okay to be worried. But it’s not okay to let it consume you.”

Cas shook his head. “I’m not letting it-”

Dean grabbed Cas’s free hand and held it up, showing off the chewed off fingernails and cuticles. Cas huffed and Dean let the hand drop. 

“Hey,” he said softly when Cas refused to look at him. “I know you’re strong. You’re my big, tough, badass Alpha. And I’m not just blowin’ smoke. But even you need a breather, right?” Dean tapped a finger on the joint and smiled. “Do us both a favor and get high, let loose, and relax a bit. Let  _ me _ take care of  _ you _ for once.”

Cas pressed his lips together then grazed his lip with his teeth. “You won’t give me that  _ look _ for smoking?”

Dean sighed and laid a palm over Cas’s thigh, squeezing gently. “I only give you that look if you puff on one every hour. That look isn’t judgement. Hell, you remember I did this with you before I got pregnant, right? I’m only worried...worried about why you’re needing it so much. But I know they help...calm you, or whatever. And I want you calm and...loose. You’re too tense.”

“Loose?” Cas quirked a smirk.

Dean smiled back. “One of the first words I thought of when we met. Loose and high as fuck.”

“I wasn’t high,” Cas said petulantly. “I was pleasantly buzzed.”

“Whatever you want to call it,” Dean snorted. 

Cas looked down at the joint, turning it over in his fingers again. He shook his head. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Damn right you don’t.”

Dean gave him a sly grin when he looked up at him, giving him a playful shove. Cas caught his wrist and pulled him in for a kiss, one that started innocently and morphed into something a little more urgent, teeth scraping and tongues mingling. Dean braced a hand on the side of Cas’s face, sliding it down to his neck slowly as they pulled away.

“Thank you,” Cas said genuinely, pressing their foreheads together. “I’ve been...a little out of my mind. I just didn’t want to worry you.”

“I know.”

Cas licked his lips quickly, pulling back to look at him. “Will you be there tomorrow? By my side?”

“Of course, Cas,” Dean assured him. “If it’ll help, yeah, I’ll be right there.”

Cas nodded and let out a relieved breath, leaning forward and laying the joint gently on the table. Dean looked at it and back at Cas, raising a brow. Cas shrugged.

“Don’t need it,” he said simply, cupping Dean’s jaw. “You give me all the calm I need.”

“Hm,” Dean leaned into the touch, practically purring when a rough thumb stroked his cheek. “Feel like I’m usually the cause of your stress.”

“Never,” Cas said immediately, sliding his hand down to Dean’s neck to rest over the mating mark. “Concern for my pregnant mate’s safety and comfort is not stress. It’s just being a good Alpha.”

“You are,” Dean murmured, tilting his head to allow Cas more access. “A very good Alpha.” It still amazed him, even now, how readily he submitted. Most would say it was instinct. Not only was Cas Alpha to the pack Dean belonged to, but he was  _ Dean’s _ Alpha. It was only natural for him to be complacent. Dean knew it was more than that, though. True, the instinct was there, but it was a choice each and every time he submitted.

Cas moved forward and rubbed against Dean’s neck, nosing along the length and chuffing softly. Dean relaxed against the futon and closed his eyes, a hand cupping the back of Cas’s head. Cas had been doing this more and more often, the chuffing and rubbing and scenting. A wolf thing maybe, Dean thought. It didn’t bother him. He loved the attention.

Dean hummed and leaned forward, bracing himself on the arm of the futon and the back, pulling himself up to attempt to straddle Cas’s lap. He teetered a little precariously as he moved to throw his leg over, and Cas reached out to steady him, looking concerned.

“Easy-”

“I got it,” Dean said, determined, gripping the futon frame tightly as he regained his balance and lowered himself back down, with Cas’s help. To say it was uncomfortable would be an understatement, his tired legs protesting and his belly largely in the way, putting too much distance between them, in Dean’s opinion. He grinned with smug satisfaction when he was firmly seated in his lap, though, looking down at Cas proudly. “See? No sweat.”

“Maybe just a little sweat,” Cas teased, wincing when Dean teasingly pinched his nipple. “I’m kidding.” He looked lovingly up at Dean, his smile fading to something more along the lines of admiration. “ _ God,  _ you are incredible. I mean, do you even realize? Do you even know what you make me feel? There’s no way. Let me tell you.”

Dean’s breath hitched in his throat as Cas slid his hands up from his waist, around his belly and up across his chest, then back down again. He pressed his fingertips into Dean’s thighs, squeezing gently.

“Every day, every single day, I get to wake up with you in my bed. I get to look over and see you sleeping soundly with the sheets draped over you and the sun barely shining through the window, across this gorgeous body, and I know that you’ve probably been up half the night tossing and turning because you’re too hot or you’re too uncomfortable...but you never complain. I’ve seen you go from what you were to what you are now, I’ve seen color return to your cheeks and this beautiful body fill out before my eyes, I’ve seen you embrace me and Rory and the pack, and you do it all with grace and understanding. I’ve seen you wake up in the middle of the night when Rory was sick and stay up half the night with her. I’ve come home to find the two of you just napping or drawing or talking together and I just...my heart is so full. You have amazed me in the short amount of time I’ve known you, and you continue to amaze me every day. You are...the strongest person I know. You keep me sane. I am so...hopelessly, shamelessly,  _ ridiculously  _ in love with you.”

Dean was so focused on trying to breathe he jumped when Cas’s hand slid across his cheek and came away wet. 

“You’re crying,” Cas murmured, concern lacing his voice. 

“‘M not crying, you are,” Dean said rather pathetically, hastily wiping away the other tears. 

Cas chuckled and tugged Dean’s face down, kissing each damp cheek tenderly. “I’m sorry, Omega. I didn’t mean to upset-“ 

“You didn’t,” Dean shook his head, clearing his throat when his voice came out hoarse. “Just...this pregnancy already has me crying at nothing, and then you go say stuff like that...I just never even dreamed I’d get to hear words like that.”

“You should hear them everyday,” Cas said sincerely, stroking along the line of Dean’s jaw. “You deserve...everything, Dean. Everything I can give you and everything I can’t.” 

“Just want you,” Dean murmured, leaning into Cas’s touch. “You  _ are _ everything.” 

Cas smiled, but Dean could see the glassy eyes and feel the slightly trembling fingertips across his lips. “Now who's the sweet talker,” he huffed at Dean, ever the Alpha and refusing to let the tears fall. He sniffed loudly and took Dean’s hand in his, raising it to his lips.

Dean snaked his arms around Cas’s neck and leaned down to press his forehead to his forearm, and Cas wrapped his arms firmly around his waist. They stayed like that for several minutes, until Dean’s legs protested at the position and he had to move. Cas helped him- unnecessarily, in Dean’s opinion- to the bed. They shed their clothes and curled up together, Cas wrapping his arms back around him again from behind, and Dean holding the arm draped over him against his chest.

“Thank you, Dean,” Cas said softly, pressing a kiss to his hair. “For recognizing what was happening, for pulling me out. Just...thank you.”

“‘S my job,” Dean murmured, blinking slowly at the moonlight streaming through the window.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Cas.”


	6. Chapter 6

It wasn’t until Dean woke to the sun high in the sky that he realized they’d fallen asleep without so much as touching one another in a sexual manner the night before. Dean smacked himself internally, blaming the exhaustion largely on the pup, his excitement during the day surely draining any energy he would’ve had himself otherwise. He blinked and groaned and rolled over, finding an empty bed and Cas over at the kitchen making them coffee. 

“Mornin’ sunshine.”

Cas looked over at him and smiled, raising a mug in his direction. “Good morning, Dean.”

Dean huffed a laugh and moved to get up, but Cas waved a hand, starting toward him with a full mug of coffee. “No, no, here, just relax, just a bit longer.” Dean rolled his eyes as Cas helped him sit against the headboard, adjusting pillows behind him and handing him the mug before walking back to make his own.

“So...I’ve decided that I’m finally going to read her journal.”

Dean gaped at Cas’s back, his mug poised by his mouth, while the Alpha very calmly went about pouring his coffee. As if he hadn’t just dropped the biggest news since the announcement of Dean’s pregnancy. Dean had pushed and  _ pushed _ for Cas to read Ysabella’s journal, preferably with Rory, but for himself at the very least. And for months Cas had refused, many times cutting Dean off in mid-sentence, his voice edging towards his Alpha voice every time. Dean had begun to accept it was argument he was never going to win. 

“You, um... really?” Dean blinked, sipping at his coffee...his one cup a day, Missouri’s orders.

“Yes,” Cas nodded, shuffling back over to Dean and crawling in beside him with his own mug. Probably not his first either, Dean thought idly. “It’s time. Past time, really.”

“What made you decide that?” Dean asked carefully, tapping a finger on the side of his mug. 

Cas took a sip of his coffee and draped an arm over Dean’s shoulders. “I was just laying here this morning, watching you sleep, and I started thinking about it. And I asked myself why it was that I wouldn’t read it, and I think...I mean, I think it was a lot of things.” Dean nodded absently and waited for him to elaborate. Cas rubbed his eyes and sighed.

“I think first and foremost, it made the fact that she’s gone feel...real. And I know, I know she’s been gone for six years now, but...I dunno. Not having read it made it easy to push it out of my mind. Not seeing her is one thing, but reading something that I know will make me hear her voice, it’s just-” he swallowed hard and shook his head, looking down at his mug. “I’m happy now. I’ve moved on. I think I’m in a better place now than I was, a better place than I have been since she left us.” He paused, and Dean looped his arm under Cas’s, around his back, rubbing gently. “And then there’s Rory. I’ve dropped the ball with her, with regard to Ysabella. She only knows of her mom through that journal. And I think maybe...if I was to read it, I could sit down and finally tell her more about her. I could elaborate on certain things, tell her stories. I could help her feel like she really knew her. She deserves that. And finally,” he sighed and looked up at Dean, “I think it will give me closure. And while I don’t want to forget her, I need to be able to, definitively, close that chapter of my life.”

Dean wordlessly set down his coffee and shifted on the bed to face Cas, their knees bumping, and reached for his free hand. “I think…” he murmured, his thumb stroking Cas’s knuckles. “That’s really good, Cas. I don’t know what it’s like to lose a mate, the kind of pain that causes. And you shouldn’t forget about her, ever. I think it’s good, though, for you to finally move on. Um, close the chapter, like you said. It will be good for you and Rory, to remember her together.”

Cas sighed deeply and nodded, squeezing Dean’s hand. He looked determined, if slightly anxious about the idea of reading whatever was in that journal. From what Dean understood, she wrote it in almost everyday, right up until she went into labor. The last few pages would probably be the hardest for Cas.

“Won’t be easy,” Dean went on, looking down at their hands. “Confronting something you’ve been running from for so long.”

Cas glanced up at Dean, pressing his tongue to the back of his teeth. “Yes. I suppose you might know something about that, hm?”

Dean quirked a humorless smile. “A little, yeah.”

Cas was silent for a moment, chewing on his lip as he laced their fingers together. “How did you do it?” he asked quietly. 

Dean snorted and shook his head ruefully. “Not like I had much choice at the time. Rory needed me.  _ My pup _ needed me. I just…” he huffed and shrugged. “I think there comes a point where life just forces it on you. And you either deal with it or...well, in my case, die. This isn’t quite so dire, but…”

“Yes, I see what you’re saying,” Cas nodded thoughtfully. “Confront it, or let it drag you down.”

“Exactly.”

Cas hummed and looked down as he moved a slow thumb across the rim of his mug. “I think it’s time. I know you’ve been pushing it, albeit gently, for awhile now. And Rory, seemed like she was asking me every other day about it. But I just...I knew I  _ couldn’t  _ yet. I couldn’t be the strong one for her, could barely be strong for me. And it...thinking of her, it brings up a lot of good memories. But ultimately it’s going to bring up the last one I have of her, and...and one of the first ones I have of Rory. And I’m not particularly proud of how I felt after seeing Rory, after Missouri handed her to me as Ysabella just-” his voice broke and he cleared his throat.

Dean frowned. “What are you talkin’ about, Cas?”

Cas took a deep breath and let it out slowly, eyes wet with unshed tears. “Minutes after the birth, that’s when...that’s when she…” he cleared his throat and shook his head. “She’d just barely had the chance to hold Rory, you know? After hours of laboring with her, she was exhausted and she’d only just got her hands on her, and I saw it. It happened so fast but it seemed like it was all slow motion, her breath just left her, and her eyes rolled back, her hands went limp, her head fell back against the pillow. Um. Missouri, she...she was quick, grabbed Rory and shoved her into my arms, went to work on her, but, uh…” he shrugged, shaking his head again. “There was nothing she could’ve done. She was gone in minutes. And I was left with this little pup, looking up at me with these big blue eyes, still covered in Ysabella’s blood as she was lifeless just feet away from me. And I remember thinking that I hated those eyes, because they were my eyes, and she was dead because of me. I thought that every time I looked in those eyes it would remind me of that, be a reflection of the fact that I killed her, even after doing all I did to save her. I brought her here for refuge, and I was the one that killed her in the end.”

“Cas, you can’t-”

“And then I had this pup. This pup that I resented so much. Benny and Bobby and a few of the others from the camp came shortly after, and they took Ysabella’s body out to prepare her to burn, and I just sat in here holding Rory. I just kept looking at her and Dean...all I could think was how much I loathed her. How much I would never be able to love anyone again as much as I loved Ysabella, and she took that away from me.” He finally looked up at Dean, his features hard, but tears finally falling silently down his cheeks. “I  _ hated  _ myself, and I hated her. What kind of father thinks that about their child?”

“You were in shock, Cas,” Dean said gently, reaching up to thumb away a few tears. “Grieving. You’d just lost your mate, who’d been your whole life, and what made it even worse was how...out of nowhere it was. I’ve heard bits and pieces...how healthy the pregnancy was. How strong she was all through labor. Then her body just...stopped. Gave up. No one expected it. Of course you were angry. Anyone would be.”

“But-”

“It’s called being human, Cas,” Dean cupped his damp cheek. “What’s important is that you love Rory. You took care of her, raised her, never once punishing her for Bella’s death. It could’ve gone the other way, and I know it has for other Alphas. Bella’s death wasn’t anyone’s fault, not yours, or Rory’s. It’s like you said, Omega bodies undercompensated, right? We’re weaker now...death during pregnancy…” he took a breath and laid a hand on his belly, “it’s just a risk we all take. She knowingly took that risk, Cas. And I know she wouldn’t blame you or your pup for what happened.”

“I don’t-” Cas shook his head, taking Dean’s hand in his, “I don’t feel that way now, obviously. I haven’t...since then. But it doesn’t keep me from feeling bad about it now.”

“Of course not.”

“Ysabella, she...she’d be happy for me, now. She would. In fact-” Cas looked over at Dean and gave him a crooked smile, squeezing his hand. “She would’ve loved you. In a lot of ways, you remind me of her. Not too much, but just...certain mannerisms, ways of thinking, you were similar in that aspect. But she would be happy that I’m happy. Happy that Rory was taken care of, loved by someone else the way she would’ve loved her. But none of that...none of that takes away how I felt then. I’ll always feel guilty for that.”

Dean looked down at their hands and gave Cas’s a gentle squeeze.

“What happened to her, Dean...that’s not gonna happen to you. I...I won’t let it.”

Dean managed a smile and nodded, though they both knew Cas had absolutely no control over what happened. Dean felt strong, his pup was strong, and most days he confident that they would both make it through. Then again, Ysabella has supposedly been strong and healthy too. There was no stopping whatever happened, but Dean understood an Alpha’s need to feel in control. If this helped Cas lessen some of his stress, then Dean was content to let him have it.

“As long as you’re there with me,” Dean murmured. “Then it will be okay. I just...need you there with me, Cas.”

“Of course, Dean,” Cas said immediately, earnestly. “I know I’ve missed a lot of the pregnancy. I haven’t been around to help you, and with it being your first one since…” he shook his head, “I’m so sorry, Dean. I promise I’ll be here for the birth...every second of it.” He paused and sighed. “I’ve planned to have all this done by then. Everything with the Omega ring and the dismantling. I plan to have all of it done, before your final month. And if it’s not, well...they’ll have to carry on without me. I refuse to not be here.” He raised Dean’s hand to his lips and held it there, kissing intermittently. They were quiet for awhile, just listening to the sound of the birds chirping outside and people chattering in the distance. 

After several minutes Dean nudged Cas with his shoulder, withdrawing his hand. “You’re still nervous about the meeting, aren’t you?”  
“No.”

“Cas.” Dean tilted his head knowingly.

“It’s just...it’s a lot for them to take in. I’m expecting them to just be okay with expanding, and...with the potential idea of now sharing the responsibilities of the pack with another Alpha. It’s not something easily asked of your pack.”

“No,” Dean agreed with a nod of his head. “But your pack trusts you. It might be hard for them, but they’ll accept your decision. They know you always have their safety in mind, that whatever Alpha you bring into the pack will be a good one.”

“So you are okay with another Alpha around?” Cas asked, raising a brow.

Dean shrugged and rubbed his belly as Jack began to stir. “Not saying I like it, or that there won’t be problems. I just mean that they-  _ I _ \- trust that you’re making the right decision.”

“What if I were to tell you that it was Sam I was thinking about bringing in?”

Dean was almost surprised at his own lack of reaction to that as compared to how he would’ve been just weeks ago. He looked down at his belly and slid his hand across slowly, finally shrugging.

“If you’re interested in inviting another Alpha to live here with us, well...I don’t think Sam would be a bad pick.”

“Really?”

There was a pause and Dean nodded and smiled at his stomach as Jack began to push against the left side. He reached down and took Cas’s hand, guiding it to the spot and laying it there. Cas splayed his fingers across, only pulling away long enough to sit his mug down on the bedside table, then he curled up against Dean’s side and laid his head on his chest, rubbing gently over where Jack lay as he moved.

“What’s it like?” Cas asked after long, peaceful minutes. “Having something in there, moving around?”

“Really fucking weird,” Dean grunted, and Cas chuckled into his chest. “At first, anyway. It was just...really new.”

“And now?”

“Now it’s kind of amazing,” Dean smiled and poked at his swell, feeling Jack shift again. “Almost, um, comforting.”

“Because you know he’s okay?” Cas blinked up at him and Dean shrugged, biting his lip.

“Yeah, that,” he nodded, “but also...I dunno. It’s weird, but when he moves around in there I feel like I’m not alone in this. It’s like he knows when I’m sad or angry or...whatever, he’s there and it helps in some weird way.” Dean slid his hand over his belly and sighed softly. “And it’s a piece of you. All to myself.”

Cas looked up at him with downturned eyes. “You have  _ me  _ all to yourself.”

“Kind of, yeah. But I also have to share you with everyone else.” He waved a hand quickly. “Not that I really mind. I knew what I signed up for. It’s just...he kind of makes me feel like you’re with me all the time, even when you’re not. I feel like I have this connection to you through him.”

Cas sat up and situated himself behind Dean, letting him lay back against him. His hands found their way to his belly again and stroked softly. He tucked his chin over Dean's shoulder and nuzzled his neck, scenting deeply. 

“Sometimes I have these dreams about us,” Cas whispered into his skin, and Dean inclined his head to give him better access to his neck. “Kind of weird, I guess, now that I'm saying it out loud… but we're...wolves. And you, you're this beautiful brown wolf, and Rory's obviously a red wolf-” he smiled against his skin when Dean huffed a laugh, “- then another little black one… Jack. And it's just us, and we're always together, living out there, doing what we want, when we want. I'm not in charge of anything, nothing bad ever happened to either of us, the world isn't broken. It's… peaceful. I envy the projections of my mind sometimes.” He pressed a kiss behind Dean’s ear. “I wish I could give you something so simple, Dean. I really wish I could. It’s easy to romanticize a life like that but the world out there...we both know it isn’t better.”

“That does sound nice,” Dean admitted, closing his eyes as his chest rumbled with a soft purr. “But I like this life. This is as close to paradise as I’ve ever come and you’re the one who gave it to me. I was a stranger, half-starved and snarling at anything Alpha, but you gave me a place to stay. Food, warmth, protection. In this world that’s all anyone can hope for.”

“It was purely selfish, I assure you,” Cas smiled against his skin, pressing his palm to Dean’s belly when he felt Jack shift. “I knew the minute you walked into those gates. Could smell you from here.  _ God _ , that scent. I lit one up immediately, knowing Benny was going to bring you to me, and I needed something to calm me down. It almost wasn’t enough…” he nodded to the door, “when you walked in, and that scent hit me, the very Alpha part of me wanted to claim you right then and there.”

Dean raised both eyebrows, truly surprised. “You hid it well then. You seemed so...well, high, but also laid back.”

Cas shrugged. “I wanted you to be comfortable, so you would stay. As much as it tortured me- and believe me, I had  _ many  _ restless nights- I wanted that scent...I wanted you around.”

“Stalker.”

“Mmm, but with good intentions.” He slid his hand back across Dean’s belly then slowly down to the inside of his thigh. “Although, if memory serves, you weren’t exactly disinterested, either.”

“I was still afraid of you,” Dean said defiantly, unconsciously shifting back, closer to Cas. He shuddered when Cas walked his fingers down the inside of his thigh and back up, stopping innocently a little more than halfway.

“Maybe. But see, scents don’t lie, no matter how much you try to hide it. Benny may not have been able to pick up on it, but I did. It wasn’t immediate, of course. But I remember the exact second, vividly, in my head, that I knew you wanted me. Biologically, anyway. Whether you consciously knew it or not.” He nosed along Dean’s neck again, his free hand sliding across his belly now.

Dean closed his eyes and let himself focus on the movements of Cas’s hands, trying not to be too impatient. 

“You were so tense, I remember. Breathing carefully through your mouth, just days from your heat. I know the feeling well, from trying to avoid your scent during your heat. The struggle between wanting to visit you and knowing that I couldn’t. But my scent brought you here, from miles and miles away. Illogically, mind you. Still haven’t figured that one out.” He licked behind Dean’s ear, then took the lobe between his teeth, nibbling gently and kissing it as he pulled away. Dean sighed and relaxed further against him. “But I’d just asked you about your next heat. You told me it was a few days out, and I saw the exact second you took a breath, unthinking. Your scent gave you away immediately. You wanted me long before you realized it.”

“It scared me,” Dean said quietly, shivering when Cas licked at his ear again. “Kinda pissed me off, too, that my body wanted you. An  _ Alpha _ . Mostly scared, though. Especially during my heats...you were so close. Every part of me wanted to get to you, somehow, even if meant crawling through snow. But I was scared of what you might do...of what I’d let you do.” He huffed and rubbed at his head. “It was all so damn confusing.”

“I’m sorry,” Cas mumbled, squeezing Dean’s thigh.

“And I do seem to remember,” Dean quirked a playful smile. “You visited me once, during that heat. I think. It’s all kind of fuzzy. But I remember something scratching at my door and I could smell you. My wolf. Benny had to chase you off.” Dean paused and licked his lips. “Not too sure what would’ve happened if he hadn’t. I was deep in the fever at that point...I wanted to open the door and let you in.”

Cas chuckled. “I remember that night. I was out of my mind. Benny chased me off several times that night...a couple times other nights. I had him watching you...and in turn, watching me, all the time.”

Dean turned his head slightly and quirked a brow. “Really?”

“Yeah. I didn’t trust myself. And besides Missouri and Charlie, Benny was the only one that knew. They did a lot for me too, actually. All three of them, looking out for you, keeping me in check, probably much more than you know.” Cas moved his hands back up to Dean’s belly and the pup stirred lazily. “Sometimes the urges felt easier to control when I was in my wolf form. Dunno why really, but I found myself resorting to that a lot in your early days here. And then when you took to me in that form the way you did, it just kept getting easier and easier to do it, for any attention I could get from you. I know it was dishonest but I just wanted to be near you. You trusted me that way. It was like we had this...I don’t know. This otherwordly connection...just this really profound bond.”

“Even if it was dishonest,” Dean laid his hands over Cas’s, “I’m...glad you did. The wolf, um, you… it was comfortable. I had someone to talk to and any time I saw the tracks in the snow around my cabin, I felt protected. As big and scary as you are in that form, I felt safe. It’s a nice feeling and I’m still getting used to it.”

“I’ll always keep you safe,” Cas said firmly, a little bit of a growl in his voice.

Dean chuckled and reached up, patting him placatingly on the cheek. “Yes, Alpha, I know.”

“Don’t patronize me, Omega.”

“I’m not,” Dean’s smirk widened. “I’m agreeing. Big, strong Alpha. The strongest. So strong.”

“You’re hilarious,” Cas snorted, nipping at his earlobe. 

“I’m  _ adorable _ .”

A pause. “Well...can’t argue with that.”

“Good.”

Cas hummed and squeezed lightly around his middle, then tapped him on the thigh. “Okay, c’mon...let’s go burn off that energy you just drank. A little walk will do it.”

“Did you just...did you trick me into having to exercise?”

Cas smirked as he untangled himself from Dean and crawled out of bed. He leaned back over the bed and pulled Dean’s head forward to kiss his forehead as he slid on his shoes. “It’s good for you and the pup. C’mon, Omega.”

“Talk about dishonest.”

Cas snorted as he helped Dean out of bed, then into clothes and shoes and out the door.

\----

“Don’t be nervous.”

“I’m not.”

“Hey,” Dean squeezed Cas’s hand as they watched camp members file into the kitchen, which was easily the biggest cabin in the camp. Cas pressed his lips together and looked over at him, and Dean gave him a gentle smile and a nod. “They’ll support you. It’s going to be fine.”

Cas looked at him a long time before finally letting out a breath and nodding. Benny and Bobby fell into rank beside them, Bobby giving them a nod and Benny giving Cas a pat on the back.

Dean took a moment to look around the now tightly packed cabin. It was the first time since Dean had come to live here they were all gathered like this and he got the feeling it didn’t happen too often. Chairs were brought in and mostly used by Omegas or the elderly. Pups chased each other through the crowd, uncaring or uncomprehending as to why the whole pack was gathering. The rest of the members stood, some resting against the walls, as they regarded Cas curiously. Dean as well was getting looks and he fought the urge to hunch his shoulders to appear smaller. He had promised Cas to stand by his side during this and he would, but it didn’t mean he particularly liked having the whole pack’s eyes on him. As much as he wanted to go hide in a corner, he had to accept he was in a position of authority now. Even if he thought he wasn’t qualified for the job, he had to at least look like he knew what he was doing. Which meant standing in front of all these eyes, pregnant belly and all, and supporting his Alpha.

When the last of the members had trickled in and the pups wrangled, a gradual silence fell over the cabin. Benny stepped forward and tipped his hat, looking every bit the humble man he was despite his hulking size. 

“Thank y’all for comin’,” Benny said, his voice quiet yet reaching the entire room. “I know it’s a bit out of the ordinary, but some...ah, changes are coming down the pike. Our Alpha wanted to get everyone on the same page, so you can all know what to expect. Mind you, we believe these are good changes, but challenging, and some of it might prove to be a hard pill to swallow.” He glanced at Cas, then sighed. “I just ask you hear him out before any questions, alright?” He got a few nods and Benny clapped Cas on the shoulder. “All yours, Alpha.”

Cas gave Dean a final look- looking far more at ease than Dean logically knew he was- squeezed his hand, and stepped forward. He scanned the room, his arms resting easily by his sides. It was the persona that Dean was first introduced to, and a convincing one at that. It was the part of him that commanded respect, and any murmuring or whispering going on before completely ceased. Even the pups were quiet, sitting calmly on their mother’s laps, watching him intently with wide eyes.

“In the time since you’ve all been here, you’ve come to respect me. In doing so, you’ve come to respect the opinions of those closest to me.” He gestured to the side, at Benny and Bobby. “Together, we’ve made decisions which we’ve felt have been in the best interest of everyone sitting in this room now.” 

A few of the Omegas and Betas nodded in agreement, but still the silence remained. Dean scanned the crowd and saw Donna and Jody sitting off to the side, Ezra sucking his thumb and bouncing gently on Jody’s knee. Donna gave him a smile and a wave, which Dean returned. 

“Today, we ask you to consider not only what may be in the best interest of those already here, but of those who may potentially join us in the future.”

The murmuring started almost instantaneously, and Cas patiently waited for it to die down. Still, Dean saw his shoulders tensed, his hands twitching. He looked to the side Dean stood on, toward the far wall, licked his lips and swallowed, closed his eyes. The whispering stopped in seconds.

“As you all know,” Cas started slowly, taking a breath as he opened his eyes and looked out over them again, “We’ve been concerning ourselves with an Omega ring somewhere nearby. On our last scouting trip, I spoke with some helpful Alphas at a camp about three days Southeast of here in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and it looks like the place we’ve been looking for is just outside of Fort Smith. We’re currently preparing to infiltrate this camp, as soon as we have enough able-bodied Alphas and Betas to help. The Alphas from Fayetteville have already offered their help, as well as some of their people. We also have guaranteed help from the Wichita and Stillwater camps. Any Betas here are also welcomed to help, if they wish, although it will not be expected.”

Cas paused, taking a breath, and looked over at Dean, who gave him a subtle nod of encouragement.

“If we successfully infiltrate the camp,” he continued, and Dean firmly ignored the implications of that, “then we will have freed, what we expect to be, hundreds of imprisoned Omegas and pups.” There were a few gasps and Dean spotted a few mothers squeezing their pups closer to their bodies. “These Omegas and their pups will need a safe place to heal. Benny, Bobby, and I have decided that our pack will house them. In order to take in the influx, our camp will have to expand. The pack will double, maybe even triple, in size. That means more mouths to feed, more medical care, more housing, more...everything.” Cas took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders, and Dean had no doubts every inch of the Alpha was sore from tension. “A pack that size, an expansion that big...I will need help. So we’ve decided to bring in another Alpha. Permanently.” 

The room erupted with frantic whispering, and Cas nodded absently and licked his lips again, something of a nervous habit. Some of the people were nodding too, as if they understood the entire situation. It was possible some of them already did, or had an idea if they’d been following what had happened since the day Cas killed Michael and they discovered the ring in the first place. A good portion of them looked afraid, which Dean understood, since that had been him on and off since Cas talked to him about it. Logically, he knew that Cas would need help if there really were that many new Omegas and pups at the camp. He wouldn’t be willing to leave a single one of them behind, and he’d insist they all join him there. It was possible some would refuse, but considering the situation he was freeing them from, Dean didn’t expect that to be many.

“Many of you came here because I was the only Alpha, and because I don’t allow other Alphas to stay here. I’m sorry that this will no longer be the case. I understand the sensitivity of this decision, and what it means for many of you. I know, just as well as you, where you came from and what you’ve been through. Which is why we have spent many, many hours discussing who we think would be the best fit here, to make decisions alongside me. We wanted someone largely like-minded, and someone whose instincts come second after the needs of others. We ultimately decided on someone we believe fits that description, who many of you already know and respect.” 

Dean scanned the room and his eyes fell to Eileen, who was avoiding eye contact and holding her belly. She looked down and seemed to be trying to sink lower in her seat. Dean felt for her. He wasn’t sure how the room would take the news, but she would certainly have the attention on her in Sam’s absence.

“We’ve decided, the three of us...” Cas looked over at Dean and reached out, giving him a small smile. Dean allowed himself to be pulled a little closer, and Cas walked his fingers across his lower back and hooked his side, pulling him in close. “The three of us, with some wise advice from my mate, that the best fit for a second-in-charge Alpha, will be Eileen’s mate, Sam.”

As expected, most eyes turned to Eileen, who ducked her head and placed an arm over her belly. Dean understood that need to disappear, to protect her unborn pup from possibly hostile stares. Though none of the looks seemed threatening. Afraid, confused, apprehensive, but not outright aggressive. 

“I understand this will be a difficult transition,” Cas went on. “For me as well. Given the situation, though, I feel it is necessary. It’s in the best interest of the pack to have another Alpha to help shoulder some of the weight. I expect everyone to treat Sam with the same respect you do me.” Cas paused and cleared his throat. “I’m happy to open the floor now, to questions or concerns.”

Other than quiet murmuring, no one spoke up. Cas waited and scanned the room, an intimidating eyebrow cocked. Finally, Jody raised her hand, and Cas nodded to her.

“What can we be doing to prepare?”

“Well, Benny’s already had a few of you clearing out some of the forest for additional cabins. We have a few empty ones here, and we can double and triple bunk those in the meantime, until we’re able to get more built. Luckily it’s not too cold out, so some will have to use tents some nights. If you have room in your home for young pups, please let us know so we can at least have them sheltered at night.” Cas cleared his throat and looked over the sea of people. “It’s likely going to be uncomfortably crowded for awhile. This is going to take some time. If you are willing and able to build cabins, please offer your services to Benny. If not, but you still want to help, come to either me or Bobby, and we can assign you something else. This will need to be a group effort. We are going to need help from everyone.”

Kevin raised his hand, and Dean was fairly certain he’d never heard the only other male Omega at the camp speak before. Cas’s expression softened when he turned to him, and he nodded in his direction. “Yes, Kevin?”

“Sam… how soon will he be joining us here?”

Dean had almost forgotten how close Sam and Kevin had become in the months leading up to now. They’d bonded over their love of books, specifically ancient history. 

“I’ve left Sam’s moving date to his discretion. He has some things to take care of at his own camp first. He’ll need to appoint a new Alpha, first and foremost. It’s my understanding that he also has family there, and given some of their history, they’re trying to decide who will be staying and going.”

Dean tensed. The only family- besides himself, Eileen, and the pup- that Dean knew that Sam had was Mary. So, in a roundabout way, Cas was implying that they were trying to decide if Mary would be joining them in Eden or not.

Cas looked over at him, nostrils flaring as he sensed Dean’s distress. He squeezed his side gently. Dean didn’t look at him. The questions continued and Cas droned on beside him, but his voice sounded far away as Dean stared at the back of the cabin, uncomprehending of anything he was saying.

He hardly noticed when the meeting came to an end and everyone began filing out of the cabin. They muttered and whispered to themselves, and a heavy scent of unease filled the air. It was to be expected as change was almost always met with some apprehension. 

Dean watched them all with some detachment, rubbing his belly absently. He jumped when Cas touched him lightly on the small of his back, and turned to his Alpha. Cas looked at him with some concern, but didn’t say a word. He just ushered Dean out of the cabin and they slowly made their way back their own. Some pups came up to Dean, touching his belly and hanging off his legs. He smiled at them, but it was thin, and he greeted them all before their mothers called them away. 

Cas silently helped Dean up the hill. He was closing in on five months, but measured about six. The hill was becoming a bit of a workout. Once they were inside, Dean lowered himself onto the bed and propped his feet up. His ankles were swollen and his back was aching, and it was actually nice to focus on the uncomfortable pain rather than the thought of his mother potentially coming to live in the camp. 

Cas didn’t say anything for several minutes as he fluffed pillows and pulled off shoes and socks and other constricting clothes. He finally sat on the end of the bed and sat Dean’s feet in his lap, going to work massaging them. He let Dean relax for a few minutes before he said a word, so Dean laid back against the pillows and closed his eyes, folding his hands over his belly.

“Talk to me,” Cas said finally, his voice so out of place in the quiet cabin that it almost didn’t sound real.

Dean took a deep breath through his nose and out through his mouth, finally opening his eyes and looking down at Cas, who was pointedly looking down at Dean’s feet as he ran his thumb along the groove of his ankle bone. 

“Remember how I told you about Sam’s mom? My mom...being alive?”

Cas raised his head slightly and looked over at Dean. “Dean, I’m sorry. I didn’t even stop to consider-”

“You know, to be so smart, you can be so dumb sometimes.”

“Dean-”  
“ _I don’t want her near my family,”_ Dean spat through clenched teeth. “I don’t want to see her, I don’t want to meet her. I don’t want her to so much as look at our pups. They will not know who she is. I told Sam and I’m telling you: she doesn’t _deserve_ to know me.”

Cas pressed his lips together in a tight frown, his hands stilling on Dean’s feet. He seemed to stare at nothing, until finally he took a deep breath. 

“I understand that,” he said slowly, glancing over at his fuming mate. “I won’t force you to interact with her, Dean, but if Sam wants to bring his mother here, then I’m going to allow it.” 

“ _ What?” _

Cas flinched at the seething tone. “What I’m asking of Sam is huge. He’s leaving his pack, people he’s known for years, to come here. That in itself is difficult enough.” Cas hardened his gaze, his jaw clenched. “I will not make things more difficult by telling him to leave his mother. He’s all she has, and she’s under his protection. And I don’t make a habit of separating families.” 

Dean sat up a bit straighter, his lips pulled back into a snarl. “I don’t  _ want her here _ -“ 

“It’s not up for discussion, Omega,” Cas said firmly, a warning in his tone. “We do not pull families apart here. We  _ heal _ here, personal feelings aside.” He looked away from Dean’s furious gaze, eyeing the cabinet in the corner. “I’m more than happy to set her as far away from our cabin as I can, to keep you two from bumping into one another as much as possible.” 

“How could you  _ do  _ this to me?”

Cas sighed and rubbed at his eyes. “Dean, you knew-”

“No,” Dean shook his head hard, “no. I knew Sam was coming here, and I had just begun to be okay with the idea of that. You never once told me about her, never once did you say you were going to allow her to come too.” He focused on his anger, trying to keep the hormones from turning it to tears. “You didn’t even  _ ask  _ me-”

Cas whipped around to look at him. “What did you want me to do, Dean? Ask him to come here to help me, to help us, and refuse to let his own mother come with him? The same one, I might add, that he sacrifices time here with Eileen to protect? I had no  _ choice.” _

“No, you had a choice, Cas,” Dean bit out. “But you  _ chose  _ to take someone else’s feelings into account before your own mate’s.”

Cas clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and waiting several seconds before answering. “Dean, that’s not-”

“Yeah. Yeah, it is. Jesus, I came here and finally told you all about my past and everything I went through, and how it all started with them giving me up. I went through all of that  _ shit  _ because of her. And now, because of you, I’m going to have to see her face every single day, knowing she left me-  _ when I was younger than Rory, I might add _ \- to die. So thanks, Cas. Thanks for that.”

Cas suddenly sagged, tugging his hair roughly. “Dean, please. I can’t possibly please everybody and I can’t ask Sam to leave his mother behind, knowing he’s her only protection. I refuse to be that kind of Alpha-”

“But you’ll be the kind that forces his mate to accept the woman who left him to die as a pup,” Dean spat, his scent flaring to leave a bitter, acidic taste in the air. “You’ll let her live here, knowing what she did-”

Cas abruptly stood and stalked over to the cabinet, roughly digging out the gold box.

Dean snarled and would rip that damn box away if he thought he could move fast enough. “Cas, damn it-”

“I  _ will not _ be spoken to this way,” Cas bit out, his tone sending a chill down Dean’s spine. He snapped the box shut, a joint in hand, and turned dark, angry eyes over to Dean. “Not after everything I’ve done. I’m Alpha and you  _ will  _ respect me.”

Cas stomped towards the door and Dean snapped his fangs, growling loudly. “You’re getting pretty damn good at leaving-”

Cas rounded on him and Dean’s lungs seized up, his blood going cold, and he shrank back instinctively. Cas’s fangs were descended, monstrous things poking past his lips as he snarled, eyes flashing dark and cold and  _ angry _ . Dean’s own anger seemed to deflate and he curled around himself, an arm automatically circling his belly, his heart hammering in his chest. The acidic taste of anger in the air abruptly turned sour with fear. Cas’s nostrils flared and he ripped open the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Dean let his breath out in a  _ whoosh  _ and relaxed marginally, letting his head fall back against the headboard. He stretched his legs out on the bed and his arms flopped to his sides, and he lolled his head toward the door, some of the jackets hanging beside it still swinging slightly from the force of Cas’s departure. The pup stirred and pressed against his right side, small erratic movements that Dean could feel when he pressed his hand there. Just like he’d told Cas, it was like he could sense Dean’s anger and fear, always reacting empathetically. 

He didn’t know what he’d expected, exactly. Truthfully, he never considered the possibility of his mother coming to live in Eden, so it was never something that he felt the need to bring up to Cas. Perhaps he should’ve. Cas was constantly being put in impossible situations, due not only to him but also the other damaged Omegas in the camp, and this was probably one of the hardest decisions he’d ever had to make. Dean had seen glimpses of his internal struggle for weeks, piled on top of everything else. When he could put Dean and Rory first he did, but in this case...it was for the good of Dean or for the good of everyone else at the camp. Of course, in Dean’s opinion, Cas was more than capable of handling the camp on his own, despite Cas insisting otherwise.

He sniffed and sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and bracing himself as he stood slowly. Part of him wanted to go after Cas- the submissive part, he supposed- but he knew it would be best to let him calm down first...and himself, for that matter. There would be no point in going to talk to Cas when he was still so close to snapping again himself. 

He walked over to the window beside the door to scan the woods behind the cabin, but there was no immediate sign of Cas anywhere. He pressed his forehead to the cool glass and closed his eyes. He knew that Cas would be in their spot, that he could easily go to him, apologize, and that would be it. But it wasn’t that simple. He wasn’t sorry...not really. And neither was Cas. They were at an impasse and Dean honestly didn’t know how to handle it.

Dean pulled away from the window when he felt his eyes begin to burn and he rubbed at them furiously. He refused to cry and he pointedly didn’t think about how Cas had legitimately frightened him, if only for a moment. Still, it was enough to shake him to the core and he wished for the first time he’d had his own cabin again. His own space, at least, to decompress and sort out his thoughts without Cas’s scent surrounding him. He had the cabin to himself, but it wasn’t really  _ his _ . It was Cas’s, and Dean just moved in.

Dean contemplated taking a walk around the camp to see if anyone needed help with anything, or to see all the pups, but the hill was difficult without help now. And he didn’t relish the idea of having to climb back up it. So he resigned himself to puttering around the cabin, cleaning what little there was to clean and ending up in Rory’s room as he casually flipped through her many drawings. Bella’s journal sat on the desk and Dean wished he could read. He wondered if her and Cas had these same kinds of issues. If they ever argued like this and if ever got better. Dean wanted to believe it was just the difficult situation, the pregnancy, the stress of it all that was causing the ever increasing tension between him and Cas. But as he sat on Rory’s bed, staring blankly out the window, he had to acknowledge the deeply buried fear in his heart that maybe he just wasn’t right for Cas. Maybe he was too damaged, or just not strong enough, to be Cas’s Omega. Dean rubbed at his mating mark and took a shuddering breath, finally allowing some of the tears to fall.

\----

The next several weeks passed, and things carried on much the same. He and Cas made up, argued again, Cas would storm out with a joint in hand and be gone for hours. Dean’s hormones made him increasingly more irritable, and while Cas tried to be understanding, his own stress was weighing on him more and more. Cas never laid a hand on him out of anger, though- not that Dean ever expected him to- opting to smoke his troubles away instead. Dean supposed it could be worse. 

They tried, desperately. Cas had been speaking to Benny about it, he knew, because of the way Benny would talk to him sometimes, or the things he would say. He knew Cas had been seeing Garth more often too. But with the infiltration date growing closer, Dean also grew closer to his due date, and Sam was preparing to make his move to Eden, just before his and Eileen’s pup was to be born. It was a lot, almost too much, and they were all struggling to handle it. 

And it was barely a week ago that, as Missouri promised, his body began preparing for the formation of the birth canal, and he was feeling almost resentful about it. He’d almost forgotten about it with all that had been going on, truth be told, and so the soreness that he started with worried him at first. He noticed it one night while they laid in bed, just days after their most recent argument, and Cas had ensured him that it was normal, and everything was okay. He’d responded with some kind of snippy comment about Cas only appreciating what his stupid Omega body could do for him, and thus began another argument that left Dean sleeping alone.

And so it went.

It was one particular night, days since their last fight, that Dean had fallen asleep in their bed before Cas had finished reading to Rory. He’d woken up to Cas wrapping his arms around him from behind, around his (what now felt massive) belly, and pressing his face into his neck, scenting him deeply. His face was wet and his voice was unsteady when he finally spoke.

“I love you, Dean. I hope you know that.” He sniffed and reached up to rub Dean’s hair, then pressed a kiss there. “I really, really do.”

_ What if that’s not enough. _

Dean closed his eyes and willed the thought away, gripping the arm wrapped around his belly. 

“I know, Cas,” he murmured, giving the arm a squeeze. He felt tired, threadbare. His body ached all the time, and it was  _ growing  _ things and making Dean increasingly uncomfortable in his own skin. A birthing channel, swollen chest, a massive belly he could barely waddle around with. This would all be okay if him and Cas were standing together, strong and steady, but they weren’t. He felt as if they were falling away from each other, and he was grappling to hold on, but he just wasn’t strong enough. 

Him and Cas didn’t feel like  _ them _ anymore. They barely even touch each other, and Dean had never felt uglier in his life. They hadn’t done anything since that night in the forest, and Dean just kept repeating in his head that it was the stress. The situation. Blaming everything but what he knew the real cause to be:  _ him _ . It was him and he didn’t know how to fix it. 

He loved Cas, and he knew Cas loved him, he was just afraid it wouldn’t be enough. 

Rory had picked up on the tension too, but she hadn’t really brought it up. Dean supposed the way he smelled when he was around Cas might have been the indication. It was a vicious circle, where Dean’s tension around Cas made him smell practically unbearable (to himself, anyway) but when Cas showed interest, Dean was too self-conscious or wrapped up in his thoughts to comply. They just couldn’t seem to get on the same page. 

It wasn’t all bad. Cas would sometimes arrange a walk with a picnic at their spot at the end, or he’d massage Dean’s swollen ankles or his aching back, or they’d sit as a family and play games. But Cas was still distracted, and their problems still laid just beneath the surface. 

Dean had almost forgotten about Cas’s promise to read the journal until one night, after Rory had fallen asleep. Dean laid in bed, dozing off himself, while Cas read to her. He was almost asleep when he felt the bed shift, and he looked to see Cas sitting on the edge, looking down at something in his hands.

“Is it true, Dean? Do I...am I... _ losing  _ myself?”

Dean blinked and frowned, and he groaned as he turned over in bed after what he’d said registered. He could see in the dark that Cas held a book in his hands, but he didn’t bother asking about it as he closed his eyes again.

“What are you talkin’ about?” he mumbled groggily.

“‘ _ It’s days like these that I’m reminded of his true nature, that despite his calmness and gentleness with me and those he loves there is something wild and animal that lies beneath, in more than the literal sense. Sometimes, when he’s overwhelmed or distracted, I feel that I’m losing him. But after speaking with him about it, after detailing my concerns and both of us giving assurances of our love for one another, I just fear...that he may be losing himself’.” _

Dean’s eyebrows furrowed and he cracked open an eye, his vision slightly blurry. He looked at the book again and realized it was Bella’s journal. Dean rubbed at his eyes and shifted onto his back, groaning when Jack kicked hard for being moved again. 

“You’re not losing yourself,” Dean murmured, placing a hand on his stomach to try and calm his irritated pup. “The wild animal is a part of you, too. I mean, yeah sometimes...when you spend a lot of time in that form, you can act a little different. But it’s just a different part of you.” 

He sighed and reached out for Cas’s hand, tangling their fingers together. “When you’re overwhelmed, as she puts it, you don’t...lose yourself. You just use another part of yourself. You’re Alpha and sometimes that means you have to be tougher than you normally want to be. Sometimes it means using that hardened part of yourself to get things done and keep the pack safe.” 

“At the expense of my family.”

“That’s not-”

Cas slapped the journal shut and waved a hand dismissively as he shook his head, pressing his thumb and forefingers to the corners of his eyes. “Stop. Just...stop.” He looked over at Dean solemnly, and Dean didn’t think he’d ever seen him look so hopeless. “Stop making excuses for me. There’s no excuse. She was right.”

Dean chewed his bottom lip and looked down at the journal still squeezed tightly in Cas’s hand. “Cas-”

Cas rubbed a hand over his chest. “I don’t recognize this person anymore. Just...where do I draw the line between fair and safe? I thought I was doing all of this for the best of everyone here, but it turns out I’ve only done what’s best for them. Not for you. Not for Rory.” He sighed and stood, tossing the journal onto the bed, where it barely grazed Dean’s foot over the sheets. The pup jumped when Dean did. Cas looked at him, his shoulders slumped, eyebrows knit together, eyes turned down in the corners. He gestured vaguely at Dean. “ _ Jesus _ , just look. You’re  _ afraid  _ of me.” He shook his head and rubbed at his face. “I’m so sorry, Dean. I’m going to tell Sam my decision tomorrow. Either he comes here without Mary, or not at all.”

Dean’s mouth fell open and stayed that way longer than he expected it to when he couldn’t think of anything to say. He opened and closed it a few times, raising his eyebrows, subconsciously sitting up a little straighter. “No, Cas, you can’t- you already told him and you c- you can’t just take that back. He’ll cancel everything, he-”

“I’m not losing who I am over this. I’m not losing you.” Cas stood stiffly, his hands stuffed into his pockets, his shirt almost as mussed as his hair with only maybe one button actually done at the bottom. “You deserve better than this.” He turned to start walking away and stopped, spinning back around and pulling a hand out of his pocket to point at the journal. “So did she.” 

“Cas-”

Cas was already at the door with his hand on the knob when Dean was finally able to pull himself up to his knees. “Cas, please…” He reached out toward him, the other hand resting on his active belly. 

“Dean, just let me fix this-“

“Cas, damn it,  _ wait,” _ Dean growled, and sagged when Cas turned to him. His knees were shaking with the effort to hold up his weight and Cas was in front of him in seconds, taking his outstretched arm and helping to hold him up. 

“You can’t-“ Dean shook his head, leaning against him. “Can’t just take it back now. It’s done. They’re probably all packed up. On their way here. You can’t just turn her away now.” 

“I won’t lose you,” Cas said again, his voice shaking. “I  _ can’t-“ _

_ “ _ You're not gonna lose me,” Dean grabbed the back of Cas’s head, threading his fingers into the thick hair. “Okay? I’m yours. Not goin’ anywhere. You think I’m gonna let her chase me off? After I worked so hard to get here?” Dean snarled, lips curled and showing off his fangs. “Fuck that. This is  _ my  _ pack,  _ my _ home, and you are  _ my _ Alpha. She can keep to her side and I’ll keep to mine. Ain’t no reason I gotta see her face, and she doesn’t need to see mine.” 

“I should never have said it was okay, I’m so sorry-”

“ _ Shut up,  _ Cas,” Dean pushed gently against his chest, only succeeding in almost toppling himself backward onto the bed. He sat back on his calves with a huff, and Cas moved a step closer, holding his hands out to steady him. 

Cas tilted his head to the side, and even in the dark Dean could see where he’d been crying, where his eyes were still red and watery. “Dean, are you...you’re not…” he huffed and looked off to the side, down at the floor. “You’re not falling out of love with me, are you?”

Dean’s head snapped up and he looked at him with wide eyes. “What?  _ God,  _ no, Cas, I...that’s...I could  _ never.  _ It’s just, all this stress on both of us, and the fear, and the pregnancy, and-” it dawned on him around the same time it dawned on Cas, and they shared a look. The pregnancy was a much bigger factor than even they realized, for a different reason. Missouri had stressed early on that knotting was important for both the health and hormone balance of the Omega and the pup, and it had been almost a  _ month _ . All the fighting had them so preoccupied and they didn’t even stop to consider that the problem was largely biological.

Dean reached out and pulled Cas in closer, until he stood with his thighs right up against the bed. He sat back on his screaming knees and held Cas’s waist, looking up at him sincerely. “Listen to me. No matter what happens, no matter what we go through, I am  _ always  _ going to be in love with you. I’m fucking crazy about you, Cas. Okay? ‘M always gonna be here to pull you away from that edge, to keep you from going completely wild.” Dean took Cas’s hand and placed it on his belly, letting the pup get a good kick in before he slid it up higher, across his swollen chest, over a sensitive nipple, and up to his throat. He shivered as he began to slick, the warmth leaving his body and starting to run down his legs. “But not tonight.”

Cas’s breath hitched and he hesitated only a split second before surging forward and taking Dean’s face between his hands, crushing their lips together so hard their teeth clacked. He shoved his tongue inside and slotted it beside Dean’s and the strong smell of his arousal was practically instantaneous, tingling Dean’s nostrils. Dean gripped his wrists tightly as Cas lowered him back to the bed and straddled his waist, pressing his body gently against Dean’s belly as he kissed him hungrily.

Dean tried to arch up, but his belly was completely in the way and he huffed in frustration. He got a gentle ‘shh’ from Cas and a moment later the Alpha was pulling off Dean’s boxers, the only thing he’d been wearing to bed lately. It was too hot to wear anything, but Dean refused to sleep naked while Rory still had the habit of sneaking into their bed.

Dean sighed in relief when the article of clothing was gone and he spread his legs readily, showing off his already slicked up hole. He heard a quick intake of breath from Cas, followed by a dark growl that had Dean shivering in anticipation. His body was hungry, hot, pulsing with need, drunk of the scent of his Alpha’s arousal. It was a raging fire, fed by weeks of of sexual neglect and- even more importantly- lack of simple intimacy with the one he loved. Dean caught his eyes and licked his lips, looking into nearly black eyes that were wild with hunger. Cas’s fangs were already descended, the sharp points poking past his lips. Dean purred deeply and bared his neck, his scent flaring to draw the Alpha in. It was thick in the air, nothing but love and want and  _ submission.  _ Dean was laid out for him, open and ready for his Alpha to claim and fill. 

Cas hurriedly shrugged out of his shirt and unbuttoned his pants, pushing them down just low enough to free his cock. He braced hands on either side of Dean's body and leaned down, his glowing eyes on Dean until he looked down and pressed his lips softly to his stomach. Jack stirred against them and Cas kissed him again and again, his hands moving up to caress the sides. 

“Say it,” he mumbled against Dean's skin, and Dean squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. 

“No.”

“Dean-”

“ _ No.” _

Cas made a disapproving noise in his throat and crawled up to him, holding his face in his hands. He kissed his eyelids, his nose, his cheeks, then his lips. 

“I love you. And you  _ are _ beautiful. Now say it. Please.”

Dean watched him for a long time, the pulsing blue eyes regarding him with so much sincerity and want. He sighed and pressed his lips together, finally nodding. 

“I'm beautiful."

Cas moved back again, and without preamble he lined himself up and pushed inside. Dean’s mouth fell open and he groaned, quickly turning his head to muffle the sound with a pillow. Maybe it was the month long dry spell, or the nearness of his due date, but everything felt so  _ sensitive _ . The way Cas stretched him open was almost unbearable. Dean could feel every inch of him, hot and thick and pushing so deep Dean had a brief, irrational fear that Cas might poke the pup in the head. It was gone a second later when Cas shifted, dragging his cock along Dean’s quivering walls, and Dean reached up to grip the headboard as stars erupted behind his eyes. 

“Oh,  _ fuck _ ,” he whimpered, his hips sinking down to get more of that thick Alpha cock inside. “I’m not- it’s so-” He couldn’t get the words out, but Cas seemed to understand and was having difficulty himself. The Alpha panted heavily above Dean, mouth hanging open, arms shaking to hold himself up. Cas growled and laid a hand on Dean’s belly, feeling along the swell as he jerked his hips back then slammed back inside. The force of the movement pushed Dean up, almost hitting his head on the headboard. He didn’t notice or care, however, and gripped Cas’s hip with his free hand. He pulled as Cas pushed, wanting him as deep as possible, shuddering every time the forming knot popped his rim with an obscene sound.

The relief he felt when Cas's knot swelled to completion past his rim was instantaneous, and he came suddenly between them as Cas filled him with the first round of his release, sliding his hands down to grip Dean's thighs as he pushed deep inside. Dean's mind was blissfully blank, completely overtaken with instinct and the desire for Cas to be deeper, even if it was impossible. He arched and pushed down with a groan and Cas hissed through his teeth, circling his hips as he emptied himself inside a second time. 

He released Dean's legs and leaned over him, his hands on either side of his body again, head hanging and mouth open as he panted. He huffed a laugh and rubbed a hand over Dean's stomach, and it felt like the old them again, for the first time in a long time. 

“Next time will be longer, I promise,” Cas said breathlessly, and Dean snorted. He twitched when Jack twisted and turned, and Dean swore the pup was doing cartwheels in there. Cas hummed and rubbed his palm over Dean’s belly, following the pup’s movement.

“Didn’t have a chance of lasting long,” Dean mumbled, a smile tugging on his lips. “You feel...everything just feels so sensitive.” 

Cas nodded and pressed a kiss to Dean’s belly. “That’s normal, from what I remember.”

“Great,” Dean rolled his eyes. “I’ll be lucky to last five minutes.”

“You’d be surprised with what I can do in five minutes.”

Dean laughed softly and pulled Cas up for a kiss that melted into something slow, languid, a gentle tasting of each other. “I vote we never go a month without you knotting me again,” he sighed as they pulled apart, licking his lips. 

“I...hadn’t even realized it’d been that long,” Cas said, hanging a his head a little. “With everything...well, anyway. I’m sorry, Omega. For all of it.”

“I know." Dean ran a hand through Cas's hair and down the side of his face, stubble scratching his palm. “I've… I've been a little crazy too, and I'm sorry. I'm gonna blame it on the hormones.”

“Logical.”

Dean chuckled and let his head fall back against the pillow, shifting just enough to pull slightly at the knot locking them together, and Cas groaned softly. They let the quiet and calm wash over them for the next several minutes, until Cas finally pulled back, when his arms were shaking too much to hold his weight off of Dean's belly. He sat back on his calves and splayed his fingers across Dean's stomach, smiling when Jack kicked against one of them. 

“Dean, you… you know how much I love you, right? I mean, you never doubted that, at least, I hope?”

“No,” Dean answered honestly. “I know you do, Cas.”  He’d always known Cas loved him, even through all the fighting and lonely nights. What he had doubted was the strength, from both him and Cas, to get through this mess. Dean still wasn’t sure if he was right for Cas, though admittedly it was a little late to be thinking those kinds of thoughts. They were mated and unless one of them died, it was a permanent bond. Not to mention he was closing in on six months pregnant with their pup. 

“Did you really doubt that about me?” Dean asked quietly, recalling Cas’s question. 

Cas looked away, shame shining in his eyes. “I...I don’t know,” he said softly. “You just...seemed so unhappy. And we just seemed to be fighting all the time, and...yes, I thought you were starting to resent me more than love me.” 

“Dammit, Cas,” Dean growled, pulling at his wrist until Cas lowered himself back down to him, and Dean kissed him roughly. “Just because we fight doesn’t mean I don’t love you. I love you so damn much. So much it scares me sometimes.” Cas watched him warily, and Dean sighed and cupped his cheek. “I was scared. I  _ am  _ scared. I’m scared of her, and I’m scared of giving birth, and I’m scared of you leaving and me not knowing what’s happening with you. And it’s just...the less you were here, the more it felt like you didn’t care how I felt.”

“But I do-”

“I know you do. I know.” 

They fell silent again and Cas’s knot finally released minutes later, and he flopped down beside Dean, stroking his cheek and staring. Dean pulled back and raised a brow.

“What?”

“I can’t leave you here thinking any of those things. For my sake, for yours, for Rory’s and the pup’s, we need to be stronger than ever when I leave.”

Dean reached up and wrapped his fingers around Cas’s wrist. “We will be. We’re all gonna be fine, Cas, I promise.” Cas finally nodded, and Dean turned his head to press a kiss to his palm. “How long will you be gone?”

“Hard to say,” Cas said. “Fort Smith is an easy six days on foot, but Jesse and Caesar have a bus at their camp, and enough gas rations to make the trip. So the plan is for them and those at their camp to meet us in Wichita, which is about two and a half days out for us. From there we’ll head down to pick up those at the Stillwater camp, and together we’ll make the journey to Fort Smith. If all goes well, we’re hoping to have everyone back where they belong within two weeks.”

Dean groaned, because it was an easier reaction than fear, or anger born out of fear. 

“Don’t worry Omega,” Cas said with a sly grin. “I plan to spend plenty of time knotting you before I go. I’m thinking a bit of a marathon, if you feel up to it.”  
“You think your old man stamina can keep up with young fertile me?” Dean teased, and Cas feigned shock as Dean sat up and grabbed his boxers. Cas quickly sat up to help him put them back on, and removed himself from bed long enough to slip on a pair of his own, too. It was getting to be the time of night that Rory liked to join them in bed, and neither of them ever had the heart to tell her she didn’t belong, so they prepared accordingly.

“I think you’d be surprised,” Cas shot back. “Be careful, Dean, or you may find yourself pregnant with multiples next time.”

Dean couldn’t suppress the shiver that went down his spine, and he glanced at Cas with open curiosity. Missouri’s words came back to him, though it seemed like a lifetime ago now. He wondered if Cas really did want to give him a litter. Dean touched his belly and thought there was no way he could possibly fit a litter. He seemed so big now and it was only one pup. 

Appropriately covered up, Dean settled back onto the bed and laid on his side. Cas moved to spoon him from behind, wrapping his arms around Dean’s middle and nosing the crook of his neck. 

“Do you...feel better now?” Cas asked tentatively, splaying his hand on Dean’s belly. 

Dean thought about it for a moment before nodding. His back still ached of course, and his chest felt uncomfortable, his stomach too big, but he felt more relaxed now than he had in weeks. Dean hated to think that a knot was all he needed, that Omegas were only happy when they were filled up, though he knew it was much more complicated than that. Still, if they had figured that out sooner they would have saved themselves from hurtful words and tense nights. 

“Good,” Cas said, kissing his neck. “I feel a lot better too, actually. I guess we both needed that.”

Dean hummed as he began nodding off again with Cas’s hand gently stroking his stomach, and he barely stirred when Rory did finally join them later, laying against his front and practically wrapping herself around the swell of his stomach.


	7. Chapter 7

“Yep, I’d say measurin’ closer to seven months now,” Missouri said as she prodded around his stomach. “Big still, but I’d be more worried if the growing slowed dramatically. You and baby seem to be in great shape.”

“I feel like crap.”

“And you will, for the next two to three months,” Missouri snorted, pulling on plastic gloves. She pulled the curtains completely closed and waved a hand at him. “Alright now, clothes off. Gotta do a full physical this time.”

Dean flushed and pulled himself up from the bed. He hated this part. Even knowing it was just him and Missouri, and she had certainly seen it all by now, Dean would always be uncomfortable showing off his body. 

He undressed with her help then he lowered onto his back as Missouri draped a sheet over his bottom half. It was more or less useless, with his legs being hiked up the way they were, but it helped him feel better about the whole thing. 

“I want to look at your birthing channel,” Missouri said, moving to sit in front of his spread legs. “Make sure your body is doing its job.” 

Dean took a deep breath and tried to make himself relax. Aside from Cas, Missouri was the only one who had ever seen the full extent of Michael’s attack all those years ago. It didn’t make showing the scars any easier, especially the ones between the thighs, on his most sensitive parts. 

He flushed as Missouri began prodding around, wincing and hissing when she touched the tender space under his balls. He jerked slightly and Missouri clicked her tongue and patted his leg. 

“Soreness should start subsiding soon. What's happening is while that channel opens up, the membrane between pup and the outside world is thinning, so that when it comes time for the birth it'll open completely. And for your sanity, just so you know, it'll heal back up in a matter of days afterward.” She touched the inside of his thighs down to his knees, then patted his shin. “Okay baby, you're looking good. You can sit on up.”

Dean quickly sat and pressed his knees together, feeling his face cool as the blush faded from his cheeks. He patted the sheet down over his lap and tensed slightly when Missouri began to prod at his chest, which had swollen marginally.

“I don’t suppose your milk has come in yet.”

Dean blushed and shook his head.

“That’s a good sign. I ask ‘cause this is about the biggest they’ll get, and milk arrival is usually the last thing before time to give birth. Seein’ as Castiel is about to leave again, looks like you may have a bit of time. He says he’s expectin’ to be gone less than two weeks, am I right?”

Dean nodded. 

“Good.” Missouri stripped off her gloves and tossed them in the trash. “Well, you're almost there, sugar. You got any questions for me?”

Dean chewed on his lip for a moment as he thought. “How, um, how often should we...knot?” The blush was back and he rubbed at his traitorous cheeks.

“At this stage,” Missouri shrugged, “I’d say about every other day or so, at the very least. Realistically, you probably won’t be able to do that- what with a pup around and Cas’s Alpha duties. I wouldn’t go without it for more than four days, otherwise your hormones become unbalanced.”

Dean hid a wince and looked down at his lap. It was no wonder he had been at Cas’s throat. They’d gone a whole month without knotting. 

“Ready to get dressed, baby?”

Dean nodded absently and let Missouri help him out of the bed and back into his clothes. He could do this all himself, and usually did, but having help certainly made things easier. Once he was dressed, Missouri pulled back the curtain and found Cas waiting on the other side. 

“All okay?” he asked a bit anxiously.

Missouri huffed a laugh. “He’s fine. Nice and healthy. Birthing channel is starting to form, so when you knot him be extra careful. It’s sensitive down there.”

Cas wrapped an arm around him and kissed his forehead, then nodded to Missouri. “Of course. Thanks, Missouri.”

They stepped back out of the cabin, Cas helping Dean down the steps of the porch and along the uneven terrain. Rory was playing at Max and Alicia’s for the next couple of hours since Cas had set up dinner with Sam and Eileen, to discuss the upcoming raid and their subsequent move. Dean wasn’t nearly as nervous about it as he expected to be, but then, he supposed they had bigger things to worry about in the near future. Cas watched him curiously as they scaled the hill. The hill was no easy feat regularly, and even less so for a heavily pregnant Omega, and Dean was always embarrassingly winded by the time they made it to the top. He braced himself against the porch and let his head fall limply between his shoulders, finally opening his eyes to look down at the ground as he steadied his breathing.

“Maybe I shouldn’t go.”

Dean hummed and stood again, bracing a hand on his stomach and letting Cas wrap his arm around his middle again. “What are you talkin’ ‘bout, Cas?”

“The raid. Maybe I...yes. No, I should be here.”

Dean rolled his eyes and shook his head, making his way to their front door. “Don’t be stupid, Cas. You have to go. We both know it.” He pushed his way inside and kicked his shoes off, crossing the room to the bed in his sock feet as Cas closed the door behind them.

“I don’t  _ have  _ to do anything.”

“Okay,” Dean let his breath out in a whoosh as he sat on the edge of the bed. “But let’s face it. You  _ want  _ to. You want to go, you want to lead them, you want to save those Omegas.” He grunted as he turned himself and attempted to pull his legs up on the bed with him, and Cas hurriedly crossed the room and helped him, laying a pillow under his aching knees. “There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s part of why I fell in love with you, why I admire you. Of course I would rather you be here, but I do understand. I’ll be fine. Rory will be fine. We’ve got this.”

Cas sat on the edge of the bed with a soft sigh, watching Dean try to adjust himself to get more comfortable. “If something happened to you in my absence, I would never forgive myself.”

“Nothing’s gonna happen to me,” Dean snorted, settling on a somewhat comfortable position and laying both hands on his stomach. “This whole camp will be watching me too closely. Someone will cover my nose before I even get a sneeze out.”

Cas shook his head and massaged Dean’s thigh. “You could fall. Go into early labor. What if you get sick?”

“Cas, you’re gonna drive yourself crazy with the ‘what if’ crap,” Dean grumbled. “I’ll be fine. Missouri will be here, Bobby will be here...I got plenty of people to help me if I need it.” He paused and grabbed Cas’s hand, bringing it up to his chest and squeezing. “You can’t leave them there, Cas. You’ll hate yourself for it. You’re the only one that can help them. You already saved me. It’s time to go save someone else.”

Cas dragged his thumb across the back of Dean’s hand and gave him a small smile. He gave him a quick once-over and licked his lips quickly, clearing his throat. “And what about the knotting?”

“You heard that, huh?”

“Yes.”

Dean hummed and pressed his head into his pillow, looking up at the ceiling. Finally he sighed and shook his head. “I dunno.”

“Fake knot?”

“Can’t imagine how I’d use one, even if I wanted to,” Dean grumbled. “Not as, uh... _ nimble  _ as I was before. And anyway, I think...I don’t think it’s the knot itself, so much as the seed that helps the hormones balance.”

Cas gave Dean’s hand a squeeze before pulling his own away, clasping his own hands together nervously in his lap and looking down at them. He scraped his top teeth across his bottom lip, nodding slightly. He looked tired when he looked back up, more so than usual, not exactly making eye contact.

“You understand that I feel as though my situation is comprehensively lose-lose?”

Dean nodded slowly and reached up, tracing the ever present bags under Cas’s eyes. “I do,” he murmured, dropping his hand. “And I’m sorry I’ve been...difficult. Some of that was the hormones, yes, but some was just me. I can’t...I’m  _ selfish _ with you. I know it’s horrible, but I don’t like sharing you. I  _ know _ you need to do this, and I know you have responsibilities, but part of me just wants to keep you to myself.”

Cas smiled and slipped a hand under Dean’s shirt, pushing it up and away to trace the curve of the large swell. “Greedy Omega.”

Dean nodded unapologetically. “It’s your fault, anyway.”

Cas raised a brow amusedly. “How do you figure that?”

“You spoiled me,” Dean snorted. “Feeding me and shit. What did you expect to happen?”

Cas rolled his eyes and huffed a laugh. “Yes, of course. How could I forget that giving you food constitutes as  _ spoiling _ you. I’ll try to refrain myself next time.”

“Too late now,” Dean smirked. “I’ve fallen madly in love with you.”

“Oh dear,” Cas said in mock concern. “That  _ is _ troubling.”

Dean hummed again and smiled as he closed his eyes and shimmied his shoulders a little against the mattress, trying to get comfortable. Cas rubbed his hand over his belly, up to his chest and around the curve of one side of his stomach, then back around the curve of the other side. Dean felt the pup stretch under the touch, followed by content flutters, as Cas unknowingly began to lull both of them to sleep.

“Can’t sleep. Got too much to do,” Dean grumbled, and Cas clicked his tongue.

“Like what?”

“Like cook, for one.”

“Taken care of.”

Dean opened one eye and looked at him, frowning. “I need to clean.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

Dean tongued the inside of his cheek. “You won’t do it the right way.”

“Tough.”

He opened the other eye, frowning heavily now. “I’m not useless, you know. I can do stuff.”

“I know.”

Dean sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. “Cas-”

Cas waved a hand dismissively and stood, pulling one of the quilts from the bottom of the bed and draping it over Dean, then kissing his forehead. “You are not useless, but you  _ are  _ tired, and you need to rest. A necessity, this far along. We have a long, tiresome dinner ahead of us and there’s nothing wrong with you resting beforehand.”

Dean opened his mouth to argue, his stubborn streak almost demanding it despite Cas’s sound logic. Cas raised his eyebrow-  _ the _ eyebrow- and looked every bit the dominant Alpha that he was. Dean’s mouth snapped shut and he settled on grumbling into the quilt. Cas smiled in satisfaction, smugness practically radiating from him, and quietly went about the daily chores that Dean usually allocated for himself.

Dean watched with only mild grumpiness, though secretly pleased he was getting a little break. Even basic cleaning was getting tiresome and made his back twinge something awful. Cooking was okay, until standing over the fire got to be so hot that he was drenched in sweat. 

Cas was hunched over the makeshift sink, scrubbing at their big pot, when he finally noticed the staring. He blinked and glanced at Dean, who didn’t even bother to try and hide it. They were mated, after all. He could stare all he wanted. Plus, Cas had his sleeves rolled up and a thin layer of sweat over his brow. It was strangely attractive.

“You’re staring, Omega,” Cas said with a smile.

“You’re nice to look at.”

Cas shook his head and turned his attention back to the dishes. “Compared to the wall, yes, I suppose so.”

“Compared to anything.”

“I can’t imagine me scrubbing dishes to be very alluring,” Cas sorted, grabbing a small towel to dry the pot off. 

“Well it is.”

Cas snorted and dried the pot, sitting it to the side and throwing the towel over his shoulder. He turned to Dean and put his hands on his hips, cocking his head to the side. “You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

Dean attempted a shrug. “Not tired.”

“Bullshit.”

Dean rolled himself to his side and propped his head up with one hand. “Well maybe if you joined me-”

“I think we’re both well aware that me joining you in bed is not conducive with you getting a decent nap.” Cas grinned and turned back to the last couple of dishes.

Dean huffed and let his head fall back to the pillow. “You’re killing me.”

“Yeah, well. Now you know what you do to me literally every day.” Cas started washing a couple of their bowls, drying each one and setting them to the side. Afterward he dried his hands with the towel and folded it neatly, much to Dean’s surprise, then laid it beside their sink. He turned and looked around the room, heaving a sigh and scrubbing a hand down his face before he started picking up some of Rory’s stuff- crayons, paper, shoes, one single sock- and he took them all to her room.

Cas was in Rory’s room for quite some time, probably picking up the girl’s mess. Their pup was smart, but scattered like her dad and it often led to a room covered in random objects- some of which Dean wasn’t sure how Rory even got. Dean busied himself studying the designs on the quilt, tracing them with his finger and pressing down on his stomach when Jack stirred lazily. He was tired, yes, but he could never fall asleep with Cas bustling about and the heat coming in through the opened window. Dean grunted as he pushed himself up enough to snap it shut and pull the curtain over. He flopped back down with a sigh and contemplated taking off his jeans, but thought better of it. It was the middle of the day and anyone could pay the Alpha a surprise visit. 

When Cas finally emerged from Rory’s room, Dean patted the empty space next to him. “Take a break,” he murmured softly. 

“No, I should probably clean the bathroom some-”

“Cas,” Dean sighed exasperatedly. “Come lay down with your very pregnant Omega.”

Cas chewed on his lip then shuffled over, stretching out beside Dean and laying an arm over his belly.

“Better?” he asked, scenting at Dean’s neck.

“Much,” Dean nodded, closing his eyes. 

Cas hummed and reached up, stroking the side of Dean’s face and down his neck. “How are you feeling?”

Dean grabbed his hand and pressed it to his lips, then laced their fingers together and held them to his chest. “‘M okay.”

“You’re incredible, you know,” Cas said softly, alternating between kissing Dean’s neck and scenting him. “I’m consistently fascinated by all the effort you put into everything you do...especially now. I know it’s exhausting for you. I just...don’t want you to ever think it goes unnoticed, or unappreciated, just because I’m not here. The pack sees it too.”

“So I  _ am  _ under a microscope,” Dean joked.

Cas huffed. “In the best sort of way.”

Dean opened his eyes and smiled at him. “Thanks, Cas.”

“I also spoke with Sam recently,” Cas continued, and Dean frowned at him. “Nothing bad or anything, just...I think he’s pretty excited about what’s to come. With everything. He’s very enthusiastic about the move, about helping around here, being a new father, and…” Cas paused, giving Dean’s hand a squeeze, “a new brother. I think- if you don’t mind me being so forward- that this is going to be a good thing for you. I know you’ve made friends here and you have me, but...having family is something else entirely.”

“You  _ are _ my family,” Dean pointed out quietly.

“Yes, but Sam is...blood,” Cas said slowly. “He’s a connection to where you came from. Not just a pack member, or a mate, but a true sibling. Having a brother is a special thing, Dean.”

“I know,” Dean sighed. “I’m not gonna push him away, Cas. I just don’t know how to do this whole brother thing.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Cas said confidently. “Just like you did everything else. You’re smart, even if you don’t think you are. And you’re strong, resourceful...all good qualities for a big brother. And you know, Sam has had nothing but good things to say about you.”

Dean licked his lip and raised an eyebrow. “Really?” he asked, genuinely surprised.

Cas nodded with a smile. “He’s already bragging on you. So proud to have such a strong big brother. And he’s very excited to meet his little nephew- or niece.”

“Nephew,” Dean mumbled and Cas waved his hand.

“Whoever is in there,” he said, rubbing Dean’s belly. “Sam is looking forward to being an uncle.”

Dean smiled and looked down at Cas’s hand. He moved it over slightly to where Jack was kicking lightly, pressing it a little harder so Cas could feel. Cas scooted down to lay his head on Dean’s chest, letting his hand rest in the same place.

“I’m...excited to be an uncle, too,” Dean said finally, carding fingers through Cas’s hair. “Being around pups now, it’s a lot easier. Easier than it used to be, sometimes easier than being around adults. I dunno. Pups are predictable. I like that. It makes it easier to know how to react to them, and they’re not expectant.” He shrugged. “Anyway. I get to know their pup from the beginning, and build a relationship with them that way...which to me, is much easier than trying to build a relationship with Sam now.”

“You have time. There’s no rushing anything,” Cas said softly. “And we’re all going to do it together.”

Dean hummed and nodded, and they sat in silence for a few minutes, Dean just listening to the sound of Cas’s breathing. 

“How’s Sam feeling about the raid?” Dean asked finally, drumming his fingertips gently against Cas’s scalp.

“Confident,” Cas said. “Very confident. Perhaps a little brazen, but then...I think that’s what’s going to make us a good team. He’s young and full of energy and positivity, and I have the experience and age to know, typically, what the best decisions are for particular outcomes.”

“Just...look out for him,” Dean said, an edge of worry in his voice. “He’s a young Alpha. The younger ones think they’re bulletproof. He might try to rush in or something equally stupid.”

Cas smiled into Dean’s chest and glanced up. “Worried about your new brother, Omega?”

“No,” Dean said stubbornly. “Just...you know, if he screws up, then that puts you and everyone else in danger. Not losing my mate just because some baby Alpha wants to show everyone how big his balls are.”

Cas snorted a laugh and lifted his head, bumping their noses together and gazing into deep green eyes. “I won’t let him or anyone else do anything stupid, Dean. I promise. I don’t want to lose anyone. The plan is to be as subtle as possible. We’re not going there to start some epic  _ Lord of the Rings _ battle.”

Dean blinked. “What...um. What’s  _ Lord of the Rings _ ?”

Cas groaned and dropped his head. “When Rory is done with  _ Harry Potter _ , I’m reading you  _ The Hobbit _ .”

“The fuck’s a hobbit?”

Cas reached up and patted his cheek. “You’ll see soon enough. Okay.” He sat up and kissed Dean’s belly, then his lips. “You really need to nap now. I’m going to work on dinner.”

Dean frowned. “I thought you said it was already taken care of.”

“Don’t worry about what I said.” Cas grinned as he got to his feet and recovered Dean with the blanket, which he promptly kicked back off of his feet. Cas sighed.

“What? I’m not tired.”  
“You remember having said that when you’re falling asleep at dinner.” Cas turned and walked over to the futon, picking up the large pillows on the floor to take them outside and beat them. Dean just watched him go out and back in, stubbornly keeping his eyes open. He watched him cross the room again and get a joint from his gold box, sticking it behind his ear.

“I seem to be distracting you. So,” Cas walked around the bed and kissed his forehead, then his lips. “I’m going to go cook the pork outside on the fire, and you  _ please  _ try to get some rest.”

Dean would never admit to falling asleep roughly five seconds after Cas left.

\---

Dinner was ready (and looked fucking perfect, much to Dean’s annoyance), and he was standing at the window as he watched Sam help Eileen up the hill. She was as big as Dean, maybe even bigger, and Dean wasn’t all that surprised. Sam was freakishly tall. It only made sense his pup would also likely be a giant.

Cas met them halfway down and helped them up the rest of the way. Eileen, much like Dean has to do, leaned against the railing of the porch to catch her breath. Dean briefly wondered if they should have moved this dinner to somewhere else, but then  _ he’d _ have to deal with that damn hill. 

He stepped away from the window and walked over to the table, making sure everything was set right. Which of course it was, because it wasn’t like they had much to begin with. And Cas really did take care of everything, letting Dean sleep the hours away. He’d never seen Cas more smug than when he finally woke. 

Dean glanced over his shoulder when the door opened and Eileen waddled inside, smiling at Dean widely. 

“I don’t know how you walk that hill every day,” she said a bit breathlessly. 

“To be honest, Cas half carries me every time,” Dean shrugged.

“When he lets me,” Cas piped in, following Sam inside and shutting the door. “My beautiful Omega is about as stubborn as they come.”

Dean rubbed furiously at his rapidly heating face, trying to will away the blush. Thankfully, neither Sam or Eileen seemed to notice, as Sam was preoccupied helping Eileen to the futon and getting her comfortable. When he was satisfied that she was, he turned to Dean with a smile and pulled him into a crushing hug, somehow managing to make him lose his breath while also avoiding his massive stomach. Dean patted his back awkwardly with one hand, not entirely sure how to handle the affection. It was nice, actually, getting a hug that seemed wholly genuine, but that level of affection was usually only reserved for Cas and Rory. 

Sam pulled away, squeezing Dean’s arm and giving him a warm smile that caused deep dimples in his cheeks, and suddenly he did actually look like the little kid that Dean should’ve known from the very beginning. He felt an uncontrollable flood of paternal emotion over him in that moment, which he knew was absurd, so he just gave him a weak smile back and turned to Cas.

“Need me to help you with anything?”

Cas frowned and tilted his head. “No, Dean, I’m fine. Why don’t you get comfortable?”

Dean shot him a look as he went back to doing some last minute meal preparation, and Dean turned back to Sam and Eileen, both sitting on the futon. Sam jumped up quickly and gestured at his seat for Dean, who nodded with a smile and gently lowered himself down beside Eileen. Sam took a seat on one of the floor pillows and crossed his abnormally long legs, drumming his fingers on a knee. 

“So, Dean, you’re uh…” he flapped a hand in Dean’s direction. “You’re lookin’ good. If that’s not too weird to say, I mean, it’s just- I know it’s difficult and I mean...just seein’ all the stuff Eileen goes through, I can’t imagine-”

“Sam,” Eileen said gently, shaking her head. “Stop.”

Sam cleared his throat. “Right.”

Dean huffed a laugh and rubbed nervously at the back of his neck. “No no, it’s fine. Really. Uh, thanks.”

“How are you adjusting?” Sam asked, running a hand through his long hair. “This is your first one, right?”

Dean hesitated then nodded slowly, rubbing his belly. “Yeah...yeah. First one. Um, fine I guess. Some of it is kind of weird and...um, uncomfortable.”

Eileen nodded knowingly. “The changes can be a little dramatic, especially for a male Omega. But you seem to handling them beautifully.”

Dean blushed and looked down at his swell, shifting in his seat. “Thanks…” he muttered again. 

“Alphas could never do what we do,” Eileen said teasingly, giving Dean a wink. “They so much as stub their toe and they crumble like paper.”

“I hit it  _ hard _ ,” Sam pouted, crossing his arms and looking like a giant toddler. 

“Of course, dear,” Eileen giggled. 

“I’m not so naive as to believe I could ever deal with the things that Dean does,” Cas said with a laugh as Sam hummed in agreement. Cas brought plates of food over and handed the first two to Eileen and Dean, then doubled back for his and Sam’s plates and took a seat on his favorite pillow, a few feet away from Sam and across from Dean. The meal consisted of cuts of pork tenderloin, red potatoes, and cabbage- one of Dean’s least favorite vegetables due to the fact that it was grown at the compound in excess and they had it several nights a week- but even he had to admit that it was pretty delicious. He had to force himself to not scarf the food down in front of all of them, having realized too late how hungry he really was, although it made him feel a little better to see that Eileen seemed to be struggling with a similar feeling.

“So, Sam,” Cas said as he finished chewing a bite of pork, “will your people be ready to make the trek to Wichita by the end of the week?”

Sam grunted through a mouthful of food and nodded furiously, everything in the lines of his face and his stance immediately showing that he meant business. Whether it was all genuine or largely trying to impress Cas, or prove himself a worthy Alpha, it was hard to say. 

Sam swallowed his food. “Yes. When I left preparations were still ongoing, but nearly complete. I have a total of eleven volunteers, including my mother.”

Dean’s head jerked up and he accidentally inhaled a piece of potato, causing him to have a coughing fit, and Cas was on his feet in seconds, worriedly hovering over him before Dean waved him away.

“Sorry, just went down the wrong way.” He blushed hard as Cas pressed his lips together and eventually returned to his spot on the floor, but he still watched Dean closely as he ate.

“Your mother,” Cas said finally, slowly turning to face Sam with a cocked brow. “An Omega.”

“Yes.”

Cas looked down at his plate and cleared his throat. “With all due respect, Sam, I’m not sure it would be within your mother’s best interest to accompany us on this mission-”

“With all due respect to you, Castiel, my mother insisted that she go. You don’t know her well yet, but you’d be wise not to argue with Mary Winchester.” Sam quirked a smile as Cas stared him down, and eventually Cas huffed a laugh and gave him a slight nod. 

“Very well, then.”

_ Winchester _ . Not that last names mattered much with the way the world was now, but it was still an interest tidbit to find out about himself as an adult. Dean watched the two of them warily as it seemed Cas was contemplating his next move on the subject of Sam’s mother.

“It will be unsafe for us all, but especially for her.”

“I’m aware. So is she.”

“Why is she so keen on this? She’s more than qualified to run the operations that will bring the rest of your people here. Why this one?” Cas shoveled a potato into his mouth and narrowed his eyes as Sam swallowed another mouthful of food- his last, as it turned out- and sat his plate to the side.

“I get the idea- based on her attitude about it when I disagreed with her accompaniment- that this is something she feels overly connected to.” Sam paused, his eyes flitting up to Dean’s direction but landing instead on Eileen before he looked back at Cas. “She didn’t elaborate. I have my assumptions, but that’s it.”

Cas nodded again and looked up at Dean, staring a long time, recharging the almost ever-present electricity between them as he did so. Dean had just begun to shift a little uncomfortably under his gaze, trying to think of anything other than his Alpha pressing him up against the nearest wall and knotting him, when Cas finally looked away.

Dean, with some effort, went back to his food while Sam and Cas spoke more on the details of the move. Dean only half paid attention, barely finishing his last bite before Cas was on his feet and filling up his plate with seconds. He handed it back to Dean, never once faltering on his conversation with Sam. 

Sam’s pack was considerably smaller, and only a few were moving with him. The majority were staying and will be under a new Alpha. So it wouldn’t be much of a change for Cas’s pack, except for the added Alpha. Dean noticed they seemed to steer away from this particular detail, probably saving that for a more private conversation. It was no easy thing for an Alpha to share authority, however much each Alpha got along. 

Dean blinked when Eileen sat beside him and leaned in close. 

“All this political talk is boring,” she whispered with a smile. “Maybe one of us should bring up our swollen breasts.” 

Dean almost choked on his food as he laughed, causing both Cas and Sam to look over curiously. He flapped his hand at them and leaned in close to Eileen. 

“No way. Bring it up once and suddenly their brains are in their knots,” he mouthed, and Eileen snickered, covering her mouth. 

“What are you two whispering about?” Sam raised a brow. Cas looked amused as he sipped at his drink. 

“Nothing,” Dean said innocently, knowing very well that Cas had heard every word. Damn his wolf hearing. 

“Uh huh,” Sam muttered with a shake of his head. “Why don’t I believe you?” 

Dean shrugged and tried to keep a straight face.

“So I would like to leave by dawn Saturday morning, so it may be beneficial for the people from your camp to join us here the night before, to save the extra trip that morning. If we keep to a solid schedule, we should arrive in Wichita by sundown Monday.” 

“Sure, no problem.” Sam looked up at Eileen with concern, then back over to Cas. “You said the entire trip should be about two weeks, if all goes to plan? Because to hear Missouri tell it, Eileen could go into labor practically at any time…”

“Two weeks, yes. I absolutely do not want to be the reason you miss the birth of your pup. I cannot promise you’ll be back in time, but I sincerely hope so.”

Sam nodded and asked something about provisions for the trip, and Dean zoned out again as Cas began to answer by spouting off numbers and who was in charge of what.

“If you don’t mind me asking, uh… has your… milk come in yet?” Dean said softly to Eileen, and she smiled knowingly. “If that’s not too private, or anything, it’s just- that’s what Missouri told me would happen pretty soon before giving birth-”

“No, not yet,” Eileen said, patting his hand reassuringly. “Although, I’m much more sore than I have been, with this strange…  _ heavy  _ feeling. I expect it will be soon.” She cast her eyes to Sam and bit her lip, then looked back at Dean. “I fear we’ll be cutting it close, with him leaving now.”

Dean grazed his lip with his teeth and nodded, glancing at the two Alphas as they got lost in the details of the trip. Cas looked focused, determined, his jaw a hard edge. He looked like a leader, which wasn’t something Dean was used to seeing. Cas made a great Alpha, but he hardly ever  _ looked _ the part with his laid back attitude and loose-fitting clothing, not to mention the glassy eyes from one too many joints. 

It was actually...pretty hot, seeing him stepping into that Alpha role so easily. Dean sort of wished Eileen and Sam weren’t here right now. 

“I’m sure they’ll be back in time,” Dean said, turning his attention back to the other Omega. “Two weeks isn’t too long.” He didn’t mention the many possibilities of something going wrong, both for her benefit as well as his. He’d hate to think of going through labor without Cas there. Especially if, for some reason, he didn’t live through it. 

“It’ll fly by,” Eileen said unconvincingly, forcing a smile. 

Dean licked his lips and nodded, hesitantly reaching out and taking her hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’ll be here, anyway,” he said, then shrugged. “We can do it together.”

Eileen smiled again and nodded, and Dean gave her hand a final squeeze before pushing himself up off the futon- well, mostly by himself, before Cas jumped up and helped him without even breaking conversation. He took all their plates to the counter as Cas and Sam continued to talk, then brought the water pitcher over to give Eileen a refill.

“So we’re looking at about a two hour drive from Wichita to Stillwater, once Jesse and Caesar arrive with the buses. Another three hours to Fort Smith. Although, I was thinking it may be best to walk the last hour, hour and a half, to avoid running the risk of being noticed beforehand. I want the complete element of surprise to be on our side, since it gives us the advantage-”

“How big do you think this ring is?” Dean asked, worry pulling at his gut. 

Cas shrugged. “I’d say it’s a pretty good size. Easily 100 or more. I’ve done this before, many times, but never with rings this large.”

“No telling how many Alphas are crammed in there either,” Sam frowned deeply. “Can’t imagine how they’re all putting up with each other. Alphas in tight quarters for any period of time can get tense.”

“Tempers will be high,” Cas said with a calmness Dean has no chance of ever possessing. “Which is why we need to encounter as little of them as possible. The less we draw attention to ourselves, the better.” 

“Even if you get in and out unnoticed,” Dean muttered, “They’re bound to notice their Omegas and pups missing. They might bring the fight here.” 

“Not if we cover our tracks,” Sam said confidently. “We just don’t give them anything to trace back to us.” 

Dean bit his cheek. That was much easier said than done. “The Omegas,” he said slowly. “They’re not livestock. They’re not going to be easy to move. Some of them might not want to leave. Or might think you’re just trying to steal them for your own use.” 

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, instead looking to Cas. Cas was watching Dean with an unreadable look on his face, his head slightly cocked, and Dean couldn’t tell if he was angry about Dean pointing out potential flaws in his plan or if he was in awe of the fact that Dean had the courage to say them. Eileen seemed outwardly just as gutsy and independent as Dean, but even she was quiet now, the three of them just watching for Cas’s reaction.

“These are valid concerns,” Cas said finally, his voice even. He crossed his legs and clasped his hands together in his lap. “What would you suggest, Dean?”

Dean balked at that, trying and failing to compose his shock. Not that Cas never asked for his opinions, on things pack or otherwise, but he’d never asked in front of another Alpha- his second in command, technically- and definitely not about anything so major. Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the stares of all three of him making his face heat.

“I don’t know,” Dean said, shaking his head a little. “I mean, I guess it’s a good thing that Sam’s mom-” he blatantly ignored Sam’s slight wince at Dean’s distinction, “-is going because it may be more convincing that way, to have another Omega willing to testify for the camp here, and for the benevolence of the Alphas coming to their rescue. Benny’s always been good at persuasion, too.” Dean cleared his throat, looking down at his hands. “But uh...as someone who’s been hurt at the hands of an Alpha before, I can’t say that it would necessarily be enough to convince me. More likely I’d take the chance to break free completely. You might lose a few on the way back. I’m not sure how you’ll avoid that.”

Cas narrowed his eyes in thought. “Are you saying you think the presence of more Omegas would be helpful?”

Dean shrugged. “In theory, maybe. But what I know for sure is that many of these Omegas are not going to come easily. I’m just thinking...maybe if they could somehow  _ see  _ how great things are here-”

“I can’t see myself feeling comfortable with taking any of my Omegas on this trip,” Cas said firmly, although his voice never rose. “Especially not you.”

Dean hesitated, not wanting to undermine Cas’s authority, but also knowing how abused Omegas think. “I’m just...saying to put yourself in their shoes,” Dean started slowly, licking his lips nervously. “You’re going to storm in there, with other Alphas, with the intention of taking them away to some unknown camp that’s hours away, claiming it’s safe. What reason do they have to believe you? That world is probably all they’ve known. Why would they leave a place they know, knowing how  _ angry _ their Alphas would be and what would happen if they were caught, without some kind of reassurance?”

“But they’re being abused,” Sam said, fidgeting his hands. “I mean, wouldn’t they take the chance?”

Dean shrugged. “Some would, but most? No. Your word won’t mean anything to them. They won’t trust Alphas. At least there they know what to expect, and they have their pups to consider. There’s no guarantee you wouldn’t kill their pups since they came from other Alphas.” 

“But…” Sam frowned, looking frustrated now. “I don’t get it. Wouldn’t they want to escape?”

“Fear makes you do stupid things,” Dean said quietly. “And most are going to be too afraid to run off with strange Alphas, knowing the...trouble they’d be in if their own Alphas caught them. When all you know is abuse, you don’t believe there are better things out there.” 

“The problem remains,” Cas said before Sam could interject, “that I doubt I’ll be able to convince any Omegas here to go on this mission, even if I agreed for them to.”

“I could-”

“ _ No _ ,” both Cas and Sam said firmly, and Dean huffed irritably and tried to argue before Cas held up a hand, silencing him. “You are  _ pregnant _ , Omega. Not only that, but imagine what they would do to you if things were to go bad, knowing you’re mated to me?”

Dean didn’t want to imagine it, and Cas didn’t give him time to anyway before he continued:

“Additionally, I think, if we  _ were  _ to do this, that it would be more persuasive to use unmated Omegas from the camp. Mated ones, and especially ones whose Alphas are present, would be unreliable- in the eyes of the Omegas there, anyway. It would be more convincing for them to see unmated Omegas who are living at the camp completely of their own volition and not because there’s a mate potentially telling them they have to.”

Sam nodded at Cas, then looked back to Dean, then Eileen. “I agree.”

Cas gave Sam a nod too and turned his gaze back to Dean, unwavering and intense. “What do  _ you  _ think? And for the two of you, are there any other precautions we could or should take with these Omegas that you believe would be helpful in this situation?”

Dean rubbed at his belly, mostly to calm his nerves more than to feel Jack move against his palm. Up until this point, he’d been mostly passive with the workings of the pack. Partly because he trusted Cas’s judgement and experience, and partly because he’d been focusing on his own healing. Garth had agreed on waiting to take on any active leadership roles until Dean felt stable enough to do so. It wasn’t like Cas had never asked his opinion before, but it had never been at this level. It was both daunting and humbling that Cas valued his input so much.

“I...um, agree,” Dean nodded, clearing his throat. “Unmated Omegas would be better. It would show they are here on their own free will.” He paused and tilted his head. “Precautions....well, I would try not to physically handle them too much. No unnecessary touching, keep a respectful distance, and put out as many calming scents as possible.”

“Makes sense,” Cas nodded, rubbing a finger over his scruffy chin. “We don’t want to seem forceful.”

“But also,” Sam said thoughtfully. “We don’t exactly have the time to sit and have a long-winded discussion with them.”

“Then I wouldn’t rely on one night to do this,” Dean shrugged. “Maybe send a few in at first, for a few days, to get word to all of them. Set a date and time the raid will happen. That way, they can have time to decide if they want to go with you. And it gives you the opportunity to explain who you are and what you’re trying to do.”

Eileen nodded. “Yes, I think that would be wise. Forcing such a big decision on them so quickly would be too much. They would panic and freeze, at best.”

“You might…” Dean paused and looked down at his belly. “Might mention Michael, too. They’re bound to know who he was.”

Cas nodded solemnly, watching Dean for awhile before he responded. “Thank you, Dean. Eileen.”

Dean blushed and looked down, shrugging. “Anything to make it easier.”

Silence stretched between them for a few moments before Cas finally looked away from Dean to Sam, giving him a definitive nod. “So the objective now is to find a way to infiltrate quietly to educate them of our intentions ahead of time. Obviously it can't be me or you… so the problem becomes finding someone willing to go in alone who won't be detected by scent, who won't raise any alarms.” Cas drummed his fingertips on his knee. “Perhaps Benny?”

Sam frowned and shook his head. “No, I don't think so. Even as a Beta, Benny is large and intimidating. Likely he'd scare the Omegas and the Alphas would be threatened by his presence.”

“I need you to understand, Sam, that most of my Omegas here have suffered great trauma of the worst kind at the hands of Alphas, and I will not ask any of them to do this.” If Cas's tone didn't convey his sincerity enough, the subtle changes in his stance definitely did the trick, and Dean could see the shift in Sam's stance to a slightly more submissive position. 

“I can speak with those at my camp and see if anyone would be willing to do it instead.”

When Cas and Sam began to debate back and forth on how to approach this matter, and who to send, Dean decided he’d had enough of the political talk for one night. He pushed himself off the futon and padded into the kitchen to begin washing the dishes. Knowing Cas, this meeting was bound to last another hour and Dean didn’t want the cleaning to be forgotten.

Eileen joined him a minute later, quietly inserting herself as the dryer while Dean washed.

“I have to say,” she murmured after a few minutes of silence between the two. “Yours and Cas’s relationship is so...different. I’m no meek and mild Omega myself, but the way you spoke up...it was a bit awe-inspiring.”

Dean blinked and glanced at her, startled. “Um, really? I was just...I dunno, thinking out loud.”

“Exactly,” Eileen shrugged. “Most Omegas wouldn’t dare. We spend our whole lives thinking very quietly, only voicing our thoughts when we’ve formulated the right words.” She smiled at him. “Our relationships with our Alphas are already different, since they are the rare kind that see our worth. But...they are still Alphas, and we're biologically programmed to submit as they are programmed to dominate.”

“What, um…” Dean cleared his throat. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying we are a long way off from being equal,” Eileen sighed with a small shrug. “And I suppose it may never happen for most of us, but Castiel seems to view  _ you _ as his equal. He allows you to argue, to question his method- in front of another Alpha, no less. Not that Sam is a traditional Alpha by any means. I’m not sure that big lug is capable of hurting even a butterfly. But, well, it’s just...interesting, I guess.”

“I'm lucky,” Dean said with a nod, passing her a plate. “We both are. But Cas, he… he _ does _ listen. He makes a conscious effort constantly to make me feel included, like an equal. But the amazing thing is that he actually believes that.”

“It's incredible to see you two together,” Eileen said. “Truly. You're a good team.” She dried the plate slowly and set it to the side. “I suppose I don't have anything to compare it to, since I came about after… but anyway,  _ I've _ never personally seen him so genuinely happy. That's all because of you. I'm sure of it.”

Dean looked down at the plate he was scrubbing and smiled. True, he never knew Cas when he was with Ysabella, but he knew based on how he'd talked about her that she made him supremely happy when she was alive. And considering Cas was very likely at least 100 years old, and only mated twice in that time, it was safe to assume that Dean was pretty special to him too, even if he couldn't understand why. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly smut here, ngl. enjoy!

By the time Sam and Cas were wrapping up, the dishes and kitchen was all cleaned up. Dean hadn’t paid much attention to the Alphas, finding that Eileen was nice company. It was good to finally have someone to talk to that actually understood what it was like to have a pup kicking around inside. He didn’t feel embarrassed to ask about all the changes his body was going through and was often relieved to hear Eileen was going through much of the same. She even made him feel a teeny bit better about his swollen chest.

Dean nearly collapsed onto the futon after hugging Eileen and Sam goodbye, propping up his feet with a groan. He watched Cas lazily as he dug out his gold box, tucking a joint behind his ear. Dean waved his hand and clicked his tongue.

“Just open up the window,” he mumbled. Cas raised a brow and Dean just shrugged, not wanting to explain why he was missing his Alpha even though he was right there. Dean didn’t even understand it. He just wanted Cas nearby.

Cas opened the window and gently moved Dean's legs and sat down, laying them over his lap and pulling the joint from behind his ear. He lit it wordlessly and inhaled deeply, laying his head back to blow the smoke out the window. 

“I want to thank you for your insightful thoughts tonight,” Cas said softly, pressing his thumb against the arch of Dean's foot. Dean let out a groan as Cas continued his ministrations, watching him closely. 

Dean hummed and lolled his head to the side, looking down at him. “‘course, Cas. I want to help any way I can.”

Cas held the joint between his teeth as he used both hands to massage Dean's aching feet. Dean stretched lazily and gave him a sleepy smile, and Cas tilted his head and smiled back. 

“You're truly gorgeous. You know that?” He pressed his thumbs into Dean’s heel and slid them up to the sole, causing Dean to jump slightly when he hit a particularly sore spot. “Watching you tonight, not being afraid to tell me your opinions- not to mention, with Sam and Eileen being here- it was fascinating to watch. How far you’ve come, how intelligent you are, your confidence… what’s especially interesting is that my instincts  _ should have _ been urging me to put a stop to it, even as repressed as they are, even just a little bit. But I…” he inhaled and took the joint out of his mouth, letting his head fall back again as he exhaled out the window. He looked back over at Dean, eyes searching his face. “I was so incredibly and completely  _ enraptured  _ by you.”

Dean blushed and looked away, because he would never get used to Cas talking like that. It was relieving, however, to know that Cas wasn’t upset about Dean speaking up- not that he’d really expected him to be.

“I just…” Dean shrugged and licked his lips. “Want you to succeed at this. I know how much stress and worry it’s caused you. I want to do whatever I can to help you and…” he blew out a breath and let his head fall back on the arm of the futon, “I want it to be done. Purely selfish reasoning. I want it over with so you can be home with me.”

Cas kept one hand on his foot, massaging softly as he pulled the joint from between his lips and turned his head to exhale. He leaned forward and slid the ashtray toward him, tapping what was left out and setting it on the side. He sat back again with a sigh and moved his hands up to Dean’s calf, pushing the leg of his jeans up to give himself access to massage there too.

“Me too,” he said finally. “I hope I get to see a day where I don’t have to do this sort of thing anymore. Where this kind of mistreatment doesn’t exist anymore.” He paused, looking up at Rory’s room. “Or at least, our children seeing a day where it doesn’t exist anymore. But in the meantime, I have to do all I can. I’m grateful and lucky that you understand that.”

The pup stirred lazily and Dean shifted slightly on the futon to better look at Cas, resting a hand on his belly. He gave Cas a small smile.

“The one thing I didn’t appreciate tonight was the implication that you would go too,” Cas said sternly, giving him a look.

“I didn’t actually-”

“Even if I allowed it- which I wouldn’t- it would be impossible with you being so close to birth. Typically, I take Missouri with us on these types of things, to care for some of the injured pups and Omegas we liberate that are in need of immediate care. But in this case, with both you and Eileen so close to giving birth, I can’t risk taking her with us. The three of you need to be in the same place.” He clicked his tongue. “Missouri was right. We do need someone else at the camp to help medically.”

Dean resist the urge to roll his eyes. He could’ve told Cas that ages ago. 

“Especially with us expanding,” he said with a hum. “She can’t look after all of them. Maybe Sam is bringing over someone with some medic experience.”

“We’ll need more than one or two,” Cas sighed, switching to Dean’s other leg. “If I had a guess, I’d say these Omegas are going to be in bad shape. We need to be prepared for any medical situation.”

Dean nodded silently, and he knew both of them were thinking that not every Omega was going to make it. If they’re in bad of shape as Dean was, who survived out of pure luck, then there would be a few who weren’t going to survive even under Missouri’s care. They may even lose a few pups, a thought that brought a lump to Dean’s throat. 

He coughed and stretched his leg, feeling the muscles loosen under Cas’s touch. “We can only do what we can,” Dean murmured. “Getting them out of there comes first. Focus on that. Worry about the other stuff later.”

Cas hummed in response, but they both knew it wasn’t in Cas’s nature to  _ not  _ worry about every aspect of the changes in their near future. He worked his hands mindlessly over Dean’s legs, occasionally hitting spots Dean hadn’t even realized were causing him trouble. It was quiet for a long time, the kind of quiet that would make Dean uncomfortable if it were with anyone else. Even so, the silence after a conversation about what they both knew was to come meant that Cas was deep in thought, surely stressing over things he could do nothing about. Dean turned to his side, facing the back of the futon, and nudged Cas gently with a foot, giving him a relaxed smile.

“Hey. Just be here with me.”

Cas looked at him a long moment before his eyes softened and he smiled back, sliding a hand slowly up his leg and letting it rest on his belly. The pup fluttered excitedly and Dean huffed a laugh through his nose, his hand joining Cas’s there.

“What?” Cas asked, amused.

“I dunno, I-” Dean swallowed and looked fondly down at his stomach, their hands entwined there, holding where Jack lay. “I could do this again, I think.”

Cas’s eyebrows rose and he looked back and forth between Dean’s face and his belly questioningly. “Oh?”

Dean shrugged, trying his best to look nonchalant. “Yeah. You know, um, maybe not  _ right away _ , but...I dunno. Every time I feel him move, all the aches and pains and nausea...it just sort of fades away. I already love him so much and he’s not even born yet. And I love that he’s  _ ours _ . I know Rory is ours, but this one...we made this one. Together.”

Cas smiled and pressed a kiss to Dean’s belly, lips lingering as he spoke. “Yes we did. Are you saying you might want to make another one?” 

Dean bit his lip and nodded. “Yeah...I think so.”

“We can start now if you want.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Let me finish this one first, you horny Alpha. And maybe let my body go back to normal before you blow it up again.”

Cas smiled against his belly before pressing another kiss there, then gently pushed his shirt up enough to kiss him again, his hands caressing his sides. “Well...we could always practice.”

Dean blushed and half-heartedly pushed at Cas’s shoulder, nudging him in the side with his knee. “I dunno...I could really use some sleep, remember?”

“Yeah?” Cas hid a smile as he stood, stretching his arms above his head enough to reveal the smallest sliver of skin above the waistband of his pants. “Well I guess I should get you to bed, then.” Before Dean had the chance to protest, Cas had hoisted him into his arms and was carrying him to the bed. He laid him down gently and Dean opened his mouth to say something snarky, but Cas pressed their lips together, effectively short-circuiting all thought in Dean’s brain when his lips parted and their tongues mingled. 

Dean was sometimes reminded that he used to be afraid of this. Afraid of the scrape of Alpha fang that he now felt against his lip, of the weight that was now pressing him down, of the rapidly forming knot that was nudging his thigh. 

All things he craved now,  _ needed _ , so much so that it took no time at all for his body to heat up. For slick to start to trickle out and his cock to twitch in his pants. He growled into the kiss, swiping his tongue across a large Alpha fang and drawing a shudder from the man above him. 

“Get this off me,” Dean gasped when they pulled apart, tugging on his shirt. Cas wasted no time and had the thing off in seconds. Next were the jeans, and Dean was grateful to see them go. He looped a bare leg around Cas’s clothed one, shivering at the scrape of denim against his skin. 

Cas wrapped his hands around the tops of Dean’s thighs and pressed his fingers into the skin as he pulled him closer, canting his hips slightly forward. Dean hissed through his teeth when the rough denim grazed his sore birth canal, and Cas pulled back, looking apologetic. 

Dean shook his head. “No, no, don’t stop. Just get  _ on  _ with it.”

He could tell by Cas’s next movements that unless he lit a fire under him personally, Cas was going to make this one of those long, drawn-out things that left him wanting more, despite how satisfied he was. He liked romantic sex just as much as Cas did, but sometimes he just wanted to be fucked hard, and he didn’t get that often since Cas was so afraid of hurting or scaring him.

Dean moaned loudly and pressed downward, then arched against the bed, pushing his belly up toward Cas and watching his pupils dilate. 

“C’mon, Cas, fuck your Omega like you mean it,” Dean teased, shivering as his hole clenched and released more slick. He could smell it in the air, and it was obvious the second the fresh wave hit Cas’s nostrils. Dean reached down and took one of Cas’s hands, sliding it up from the bottom of his belly to one of his swollen breasts- which, surprisingly, was not a concern of his at the moment- and back down again. “Look at me, Cas, so big with your pup, so wet and ready for you to fill me again…”

Cas licked his lips and growled as he took Dean’s hands and sat him up, capturing his lips with his own again. 

“Turn around,” he said lowly against Dean’s lips when he finally pulled away. “On your knees, against the headboard, hands behind you.”

Dean scrambled to obey, or at the very least  _ tried _ to scramble. It was impossible to move with any speed while pregnant. He turned, got himself balanced on his knees, using the headboard for support, and clasped his hands behind his back. His heart fluttered with excitement and his slick ran down his thighs in a steady stream. 

“Mmm, that’s my good boy,” Cas purred, his voice next to Dean’s ear, causing the Omega to jump slightly. Dean preened under the praise, his hole clenching, and tried to lean back against Cas. The Alpha gently but firmly kept Dean in place, a strong hand on one of his hips. 

Dean was practically vibrating, wanting nothing more than Cas to bury that thick cock inside. His Alpha seemed to have other plans, though, taking his time as he pressed soft kisses to the back of Dean’s neck. 

“Alpha, please,” Dean whined, shifting on his knees. “Don’t tease me.” 

“Hardly seems fair,” Cas started conversationally. “You tease me all day. I think I’m entitled to some fun.”

“I don’t tease,” Dean pouted. 

“Ah, except that you do,” Cas chuckled, then snaked an arm around Dean’s belly and gave him a quick swat on the ass, surprising him more than hurting. Dean let his head fall back and groaned.

“Cas, please…”

“The more you beg, the longer you’ll have to wait,” Cas said, frustratingly calm even as his cock was pressed to Dean’s backside through his jeans. Cas held his his hips as he pressed open-mouthed kisses to the back of Dean’s neck and down along his shoulder, then brushed his fingertips gently forward, under the swell of Dean’s belly and up to his chest, circling his breasts. Dean shivered violently, goosebumps springing up over his entire body. “I’m going to teach you something tonight, Dean. Tonight, I’m going to make you come twice...once before I even get inside you. How does that sound?”

Dean’s breath hitched in his throat as Cas’s featherlight touches continued back down his sides and across the outside of his thighs and his lips reconnected with the overheated skin of Dean’s neck. The biting slap on his ass made him yelp softly this time, and he nodded furiously.

“Yes, Alpha. I-I’d like that. Please.”

“So polite,” Cas chuckled darkly, one hand wandering up to turn Dean’s head sharply to the side so he could kiss him. “Now...I’m going to make you come without ever touching your cock or giving you my knot. Then I’m going to knot you, and you’re going to come again for me. Do you understand?”

Dean made a disbelieving noise before he could stop himself, so he was already half-braced for the responding spanking a second later. His ass now tingled deliciously, refusing to let him forget about the goosebumps that littered his body.

“You know how I feel about your self-deprecation and lack of self worth.” Cas’s hands trailed softly down Dean’s backside and back around to his front, tracing the outline of his belly. “I know that you’re feeling self-conscious about your body now, and in particular, your chest.” Dean blushed as Cas’s hands wandered up and circled his breasts again, letting out a breath as they ventured lower immediately after. “What you may not know is that your nipples are an erogenous zone. You see, your nipples have hundreds of nerve endings, which is why they’re so sensitive to touch to begin with. And with you being pregnant, with all the hormonal changes that heighten arousal in general, well…” he gently brushed his thumb unexpectedly over one of Dean’s nipples, and he arched inadvertently, his breath leaving him in a  _ whoosh _ . “It won’t take me long at all to make you come this way. Touching your nipples fires off the same sensors to your brain that causes you to become aroused when your cock is stimulated, or when you’re being knotted. Do you understand?”

Dean whined softly and nodded.

“This will be the first step to help you love yourself exactly the way you are...maybe see yourself similarly to how I see you. I want you to love your own body, in all its forms. I want you to stop strictly equating the beautiful things your body does to femininity, Dean. You are a male, and you are beautifully masculine, and because your body does this for our pup doesn’t make you any less so. Your belly can swell with my pup, your body can form a birth canal and produce milk, and it doesn’t make you any less masculine. More so, if anything. Your body can do things I could never do. It’s incredible.”

Dean couldn’t understand how Cas was so damn calm saying all of that, as if he was talking about the weather and not making Dean blush and twitch from head to toe. He groaned embarrassingly loud when Cas grazed a nipple again, his cock jumping between his legs. He had no doubt his Alpha could make him come from this alone. His body was intuned with Cas, responding to even the slightest touch. Ready and willing to please his Alpha in whatever way Cas chose.

He felt Cas press up close, lining his chest up with Dean’s back, and graze his lips against Dean’s ear. “Will you say it for me?” Cas murmured, his hot breath tickling Dean’s skin.

Dean pressed his lips together and ducked his head.

“Please, Omega,” Cas kissed just under his ear, a hand tracing the curve of Dean’s belly lovingly, stopping on the top of the swell and gently pressing down when the pup moved.

“‘M beautiful,” Dean finally muttered, his low and slightly muffled. Cas heard it, though, and smiled into Dean’s neck.

“Good,” he purred. “By the time I’m done with you, you’re going to believe that.”

Dean managed to hold back his snort of disbelief, but Cas seemed to sense it anyway. A hand connected with Dean’s ass and he yelped, jumping slightly, his cock bobbing between his thighs. Cas chuckled lowly and pulled away slightly, his hands sliding down to rest on Dean’s hips.

“Need you to try to relax, shut down your mind, and focus on feeling good. Can you do that for me, Dean?”

Dean nodded, and Cas’s hands slid down and back to cup his ass, rubbing gently over the sensitive skin. He pressed gentle kisses followed by swipes of tongue across his shoulder and on his neck, his hands making their way back around to cup his belly. He held him still with an arm around his middle as the other slid higher and circled his chest again, swiping once over a nipple and letting his hand come to rest at the base of Dean’s neck. Dean’s breath hitched and he leaned forward into the touch as much as Cas would allow, and Cas squeezed once gently before letting go, his hand passing over the same nipple again and eliciting a small gasp from Dean.

“Breathe, Dean,” Cas said softly against his shoulder. “Don’t think, just feel.”

Cas’s hands wandered along his torso, tracing his belly, up his sides, and around his chest, infuriatingly avoiding his nipples for several minutes. He showered him with affection instead, kissing wherever his lips could reach and whispering praise in his ear. After several excruciating minutes, his hands started circling his breasts again, getting smaller during each pass, but he stopped again, this time massaging the sore areas around.

The sensation was strange, although it wouldn’t be the first time that Dean’s brain confused borderline pain with pleasure. It was weirdly erotic and relaxing, and he let out a soft moan as he leaned back against Cas’s torso.

“That’s it, my good boy, just relax for me,” Cas said lowly, pressing another kiss to his neck. “You’re so good, Dean.”

Dean’s face was burning, but he hardly noticed as he arched to get closer to Cas’s excruciating touch. Every squeeze put an odd pressure on his chest, a brief reminder how close he was to his milk coming in and the looming delivery date. His thighs began to tremble and he reached back to blindly grip at Cas’s waist, the touch holding him steady and grounding him.

“Like that, Omega,?” Cas whispered into his ear, his warm tongue lapping at the lobe. He cupped a breast, flicking a finger against a nipple once. Dean gasped and shuddered, eyes sliding shut.

“Y-yes, Alpha,” Dean choked out. 

“Such perky little nipples,” Cas smiled, scraping a fang against Dean’s neck as he leaned forward to get a good look at his mate’s swollen chest and stomach. He licked his lips and gently rolled a nipple between his thumb and index finger, watching Dean squirm and gasp. “Wonder what noises you’d make if I take one of these in my mouth, hm?”

Dean’s mouth fell open and his breath came out in a loud huff, fangs poking out from his lips. Cas smirked and cupped his breast again, massaging ever so gently.

“Do you want that, Dean?” he rumbled next to his ear. “Do you want me to suck on you?”

Dean nodded vigorously, unable to form the words.   

Cas hummed and tweaked the hardened nipple between his fingers, then twisted unexpectedly, and Dean cried out and arched against him again. Pleasure coursed through his body and his thighs protested, already barely holding him up, and they’d just begun.

“Cas, please,” he moaned brokenly, letting his head fall back against Cas’s shoulder.

Cas kissed his cheek and withdrew his hands, all at once pulling Dean back by his wrists and securing an arm around him, helping him turn and lay gently on his back on the bed. He slid his hands down Dean’s arms to his wrists, then moved them above his head, pressing them down against the pillow and raising a brow in a silent order. 

Cas hovered above him, and they gazed at each other as Cas lowered himself down to his chest. He finally dropped his eyes as his tongue flicked across one of Dean’s hard nipples, and he jerked hard, reminding him of the throbbing cock hanging between his legs. Cas pulled back and blew gently on the hardened bud, and Dean writhed beneath him.

He was just about to beg again when Cas took the nipple between his teeth, biting down gently before sealing his lips around it and sucking.

Dean hissed and arched, grabbing the back of Cas’s head and tugging at his hair. The suction around his nipple was almost enough to hurt, the pain mixing with the pleasure in an erotic jumble that had Dean gasping for air. Cas sucked and licked, using his tongue to elicit delicious sounds from his Omega. Cas watched Dean’s face with an unwavering gaze, enthralled with the way Dean mewled and whimpered and moaned. 

When the nipple was red and swollen from the attention, Cas moved to the other. His tongue flicked and swirled, and he slid his fang over the tip carefully, gaining a hard shudder from Dean. Within just mere minutes Dean was a writhing, whimpering mess, his cock heavy and his slick gushing out in waves. The smell was intoxicating and Cas breathed it in with a deep breaths. 

Gentle teeth tugged at Dean, the already sensitive nipple feeling even more so, and he was suddenly coming when he felt a fang poke at the tip. He cried out, arching, as he spilled between them in thick, hot currents. It splashed across his belly, and on Cas’s shirt, and Dean’s hole clenched wildly at nothing. 

Cas growled lowly as he pulled back, flicking his tongue over the hard bud as he watched Dean come down from his orgasm. Dean hadn't necessarily doubted Cas's ability to make him come without so much as touching his cock, but it still caught him a little by surprise, especially not expecting the intensity of it. 

“That's it, my sweet boy,” Cas murmured as he sat back on his calves, sliding his hands down Dean's sides. He took Dean's softening cock in his mouth and flicked his tongue over the tip and swirled it around, sucking it clean. He pulled off and immediately began to clean the mess off Dean's stomach, bracing his hands on the sides of his belly as he intimately lapped the cum from his skin. The pup moved around excitedly as the Alpha caressed Dean's belly with his hands and tongue, taking his time worshipping his Omega’s body. 

He laid on his side beside Dean and traced an overly sensitive nipple again, taking the other one in his mouth once more and flicking over the tip with his tongue. Dean arched beneath him, his eyes rolling back and his breath coming in short pants. 

“You make the best sounds,” Cas whispered as he pulled off, blowing on the wet nipple and watching as Dean twitched, mouth hanging open as he dragged in air. “So beautiful, Omega. Look at you. I’ve hardly touched you…” 

He purred and sucked the nipple back into his mouth, then mouthed at the side of the swollen breast. 

Dean shuddered and whined pathetically, squirming as his cock twitched. “Alpha...Alpha, please,” he begged, voice hoarse, desperate.

“Please what?” Cas nuzzled Dean’s chest, nibbling and kissing his way up until his face was pressed snugly into the side of Dean’s neck. It was damp with sweat, the tendons jumping, scent flaring. He heard Cas inhale deeply and felt his warm tongue darting out to taste him. Dean took a chance and moved his hand down into Cas’s hair, gripping it tightly.

“Breed me,” Dean breathed, canting his hips upward. “Please.”

Cas took an audible breath and pulled back, cupping the side of Dean’s face as he pulled him in for a kiss, and Dean could taste the subtle saltiness of himself on Cas’s tongue. When they broke apart Cas brushed his thumb across Dean’s bottom lip, scraping his top teeth across his own. His hand slid down his throat and chest and around his belly until he was cradling the bottom, stroking soothingly.

“I want you in the same position as before, but bracing your hands against the wall,” Cas ordered, watching him closely. “Try and see that you can hold yourself up for me.”

Dean frowned, but he understood when he flipped over to his hands and knees and began to move into position. His legs trembled from the exertion, the muscles struggling to regain their strength after his last orgasm, but it turned out to not be so bad since Cas allowed him to brace himself against the wall. He felt Cas’s hands on him the entire time he was moving, only sliding off once he was undoubtedly set in place, and he felt the bed shift as Cas stood. He watched Cas remove his clothes slowly, his heart once again beginning to pound in his chest.

Cas took his own cock in his hand and stroked lazily a few times as he walked back over to the bed and crawled on, and Dean tried not to be embarrassed by him openly admiring every inch of his exposed body. 

“Dean,” he started, his voice low and husky, and even now his own name was his favorite thing he’d ever heard come out of Cas’s mouth. He shivered involuntarily. “You have absolutely no idea how sinful you look. How much you make me want you, without even trying.” He reached out and brushed his fingers lightly over the curve of his stomach, humming deep in his throat. “It’s a good thing you’re going to want to do this again, because I’m not sure I could keep myself from knotting you.”

Dean swallowed and huffed nervously, shaking his head. “With your control, of course you could.”

Cas stared at him intensely, finally licking his lips and giving him a feral smile. “Yes, but...you  _ do  _ tend to bring out the wolf in me.”

Dean blushed heavily and his slick chose that moment to gush out in a fresh wave, the slippery mess sliding down his thighs. He wasn’t sure what he was reacting to; the deep growl of Cas’s voice and those glinting fangs, or the image of that powerful wolf looming over him. 

“I’d say I was sorry,” he murmured, licking his lips a he looked back at Cas. “But I’m really not.” He glanced at the knot between those thick thighs and audibly swallowed, his wet hole pulsing with the need to have it buried inside. 

“Oh?” Cas’s grin widened and he canted his hips forward just enough to slide his cock between Dean’s cheeks. “You like teasing your Alpha? You like making me lose all that careful control?”

Dean trembled and nodded, pressing back against Cas and biting back a moan when the knot grazed his swollen rim. “Like you...um, a little wild,” he stuttered, fighting back another blush. “You spend so much of your time, your life, in control...repressing your instincts, keeping yourself in check. I like that I can make you a little unhinged.”

“I like that you trust me to lose myself a little,” Cas murmured, holding Dean’s hips as he rubbed against his backside. “I like that you love every part of me. Even the ones I’m not necessarily proud of.” His arms wrapped around Dean’s front, lovingly caressing his belly as he pressed his lips to the nape of his neck. One hand disappeared and Dean felt the blunt head of Cas’s cock pressing against his wet hole, teasing his rim and coaxing out more slick.

Cas let out a breath as he slowly pushed inside, and Dean moaned lowly, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against the wall between his hands. Despite the summer heat from outside, the wood felt cool against his overheated skin. 

“I love that you are willing to experience new things with me,” Cas continued as he pushed in, inch by inch, excruciatingly slow. “Your struggle and how you’ve overcome all your fears, it’s all so beautiful. And you came here, you accepted me and grew to love me, and we’ve grown together, in such a short amount of time.” Finally Cas fully buried himself inside, and Dean let out a shaky breath, his thighs already trembling again. “You know, there’s this phenomenon that plants have, where there’s something in their hormones that causes them to grow towards sunlight to get their appropriate nutrients. I like to think of that as a wonderful metaphor for the two of us. We both grew, and continue to grow, towards what we need the most to sustain ourselves. I needed you, Dean, the day you came into this compound, as badly as I need air, or food…” he slowly pulled almost all the way out again, firmly gripping Dean’s hips to keep him in place, then pushed back in, kissing the top of his shoulder. “I needed you to live, and I was just lucky enough that you needed me too.”

Dean’s breath hitched when Cas bottomed out again and circled his hips, pleased to feel the swelling knot already tugging gently at his rim. Cas circled his arms back around Dean’s waist, splaying his fingers across his belly.

“I do need you,” Dean said simply, not nearly as good with words as Cas, but knowing his Alpha would understand anyway. “You’re...everything to me. My whole world.”

He grunted when Cas pumped his hips once, pressing the head of his cock into Dean’s prostate perfectly. Cas was the perfect length with just the right amount of girth, stretching Dean wide and grazing every inch of the Omega’s passage.

“Your everything,” Cas mused, nipping at the mating bite on Dean’s neck. “You certainly know how to boost an Alpha’s ego.”

“Not sure you need a boosting,” Dean teased, pointedly clenching around Cas’s impressive knot and smirking when Cas hissed. He pulled out halfway then pushed back in hard with a snap of his hips, the knot popping past Dean’s rim. 

“What are you saying?” Cas grinned, looking all too pleased with himself. 

Dean huffed. “I’m sayin’ you’ve got a really big fucking cock and I need you to  _ fuck me with it  _ **_now_ ** .”

Cas chuckled and slid his hands down Dean’s arms, firmly pushing his palms against the wall and holding them there by his wrists while he nipped and sucked at his neck. He finally let go in favor of gripping low on Dean’s hips and pulling back, then slamming forward into him, causing Dean to let out an involuntary cry. He pushed back against Cas as hard as he could as Cas began to relentlessly pound into him, his swelling knot making an obscene squelching sound each time it popped past his rim. 

“Normally wouldn’t reward you for being so  _ vulgar _ ,” Cas bit out through clenched teeth, one hand coming up to grip the back of Dean’s hair and pull his head back to his shoulder, exposing his neck. “Look what you’ve done to me. Making me change my code of conduct for you.”

Dean closed his eyes and grinned, his breath hitching when Cas angled his hips up on the next thrust and circled his hips. Cas growled and roughly let go of Dean’s hair, the motion pitching him forward slightly, but Cas’s arm was wrapped securely and protectively around his belly again, holding him firmly in place as he pumped into him.

“Didn’t make you do anything,” Dean panted into the wall, the wood scraping his skin with each hard thrust. “You just can’t resist my little wet hole, can’t resist stuffing that knot inside, breeding me nice and full-”

“ _ Dean _ ,” Cas growled desperately, his hips stuttering as he lost his rhythm. He sounded almost shocked, and Dean couldn’t blame him. He himself wasn’t sure where the sudden bravery to talk like that was coming from, but he supposed if Cas could get a little wild then he could too. He opened his mouth to spew some more filth, but Cas clamped his jaws over Dean’s neck in a silent warning, the tips of his fangs applying enough pressure to sting without breaking the skin. Dean shuddered violently, his hole fluttering around the cock pushing inside, and reached around to grip Cas’s hair. 

Cas smoothed over his bite with his tongue, and to his credit, he allowed Dean to keep his hand there for a few moments, even turning his head to press kisses where he could reach on Dean’s arm. He finally reached up and grabbed Dean’s wrist, firmly placing his hand back on the wall in front of him before he continued his brutal pace, where each thrust rocked Dean forward.

“So you like dirty talk, Dean?” Cas ground out, his voice practically a growl altogether at this point. “I don’t think you understand what you’ve gotten yourself into. Some of the things I’ve wanted to do to you...it would be more than enough to bring that pretty color to your cheeks. Might even make you reconsider how ‘tame’ your Alpha is…”

Another shudder rolled through Dean’s body, and he could feel the goosebumps rise on his arms again. He shook his head, moaning softly.

“Oh, yes. I’ve had some rather... _ animalistic  _ thoughts about you, desires for you. More than enough to scare you off.” Cas grunted as he pushed his knot past Dean’s rim with a little effort and circled his hips again, pressing himself deep.

“You could never scare me off,” Dean said breathlessly, his vision swimming as the sheer pleasure of having that knot pulsing inside washed over him. “Want all of you.”

“Are you sure, sweet boy?” Cas whispered darkly into his ear, squeezing Dean’s wrist, his claws poking at the skin. “ _ All _ of me? You might not like some parts of me.”

“I’m pretty sure,” Dean moaned and arched back against Cas, “that I love  _ every _ part of you.” He opened his eyes with some effort and looked back at Cas, finding those almost black eyes and licking his lips. “Maybe those things you wanna do to me, I’ve been wanting too. Maybe I want it a little...animalistic.”

Cas’s nostrils flared and a low growl started in his chest, growing until it was loud in Dean’s ear. A rumbling, powerful sound that came deep from the wolf within. Dean gasped when Cas snapped forward, his knot tugging and pulling at Dean’s rim. He felt it pulse and then the hot, flowing current of seed as his Alpha spilled his first load deep inside. Cas lowered his forehead to the back of Dean’s shoulder, one arm curling possessively around his belly while the other still gripped his hip, nails just barely biting into the skin.

“I don’t think you understand, Dean,” Cas said again, panting as he pushed deep inside. “I don’t think you understand how possessive I feel when others look at you. Even Benny, who I trust with my life. Even Sam. Seeing another Alpha look at you…” he growled, “my brain doesn’t care that it’s your brother. It just made me want to claim you right there on that couch. And it’s not the first time I’ve wanted to do that, show everyone who you belong to.” 

Dean shuddered as he felt Cas spill inside a second time, pushing deep against his prostate and making his own cock twitch, the head growing wet with precum.

“I don’t think you understand how difficult it was for me to shift back, that night in the woods. How badly I wanted to breed you like that, how my instincts  _ almost  _ won.  _ God… _ ” he leaned back slightly, both hands on Dean’s belly now, rubbing soothingly, “to see this beautiful body swollen with my litter…” Cas actually shivered, then moved his hands up, and Dean jerked with deft fingers found his nipples again and pinched. “And if that doesn’t scare you? Doesn’t turn your cheeks all those beautiful shades of pink? What about the idea that I’m so fascinated by, so obsessed with your body producing sustenance for our pup? As if I wouldn’t want to taste anything that comes from you.” He slid his hands down again to hold Dean’s hips as he circled his own, letting out a harsh breath as his third orgasm took hold and he pumped Dean full, pulsing forcefully inside him.

Dean cried out weakly and came for a second time, his cock kicking out torrents of cum as he clenched around Cas’s knot. His strength suddenly left him and he sagged, Cas’s strong arms catching him easily and holding him up. Dean panted heavily, cheek pressed up against the wall and feeling a little raw. His thighs felt weak, knees threatening to give out any second. 

“Cas…” Dean mumbled and his Alpha grunted, carefully maneuvering Dean onto his side and wrapping his arms around his swollen middle. The movement tugged at Dean’s rim and he groaned softly from the slight pain. Dean took a moment to breathe slowly, his body steadily cooling, and the pup inside stretching and pushing. 

“Omega…?” Cas nuzzled his neck and rubbed his belly soothingly.

“‘M good,” Dean grunted then huffed a small laugh. “Think I blacked out for a second.”

Cas chuckled. “Good to know my old age hasn’t hindered my ability to elicit coma-inducing orgasms.”

“Too many big words, Cas,” Dean grumbled.

Cas smiled and kissed at his sweaty neck, lapping at the mating mark with a deep, rumbling purr. Dean relaxed with a sigh, his Omega senses singing with a knot snugly imbedded inside and an Alpha wrapped around him securely. Cas hugged Dean to him as Dean began to doze, and he eventually nodded off to the warm wet comfort of Cas’s tongue against his skin.

\----

Dean woke to Cas still inside him- no, inside him  _ again-  _ thrusting lazily with a hand holding his hip. Dean couldn’t believe he’d slept through his ministrations up until this point, but it seemed Cas had been busy, because he was now seated snugly inside and Dean’s thighs were already wet with slick. 

Dean groaned and stretched and Cas let out a soft growl, giving him a warning nip on his shoulder. Cas slid his hand down Dean’s belly and slowly began stroking his cock to hardness as he pressed kisses behind his ear and nibbled at his earlobe.

“Cas,” Dean whined, reaching up to grab his wrist.

“Tell me to stop and I will,” Cas whispered against the shell of his ear, pushing up, pushing his knot past Dean’s rim.

Dean groaned again and lazily pushed back, because he would never tell Cas to stop. Half asleep or not, if his Alpha wanted inside, Dean was going to let him in. But like hell he was doing any of the work. Never opening his eyes, Dean hiked up a knee to spread out as much as he could, and half-dozed as Cas continued to slide in and out at a slow pace. Cas seemed perfectly fine with this, maybe even  _ liked _ it, and took full advantage of having Dean so compliant. His hands seemed to be everywhere, stroking Dean’s belly and squeezing his cock, cupping his swollen chest- which was still a bit sensitive from the night before- and flicking the hard little nubs. Eventually an arm looped under Dean’s knee to help hold it up, probably because it was starting to sag, but Dean was too sleepy and relaxed to really notice.

Dean’s head fell back, exposing his neck, as Cas’s jaw locked around mating bite. He felt fangs and a tongue on his skin and shuddered. It occurred to him, in his sleep-fogged mind, that he was possibly at his most vulnerable right now. Pregnant, half asleep, his neck bared, with an Alpha in complete control. It also occurred to him that he felt perfectly safe and he sort of liked having Cas call the shots, letting Dean rest while still knotting him deep. 

Cas growled and pressed sharp claws against Dean’s thigh as his knot finally locked inside and pumped into him. Dean whimpered as he felt the warmth filling him, and he let his head fall back as Cas latched on to his mating mark. The tingling pleasure radiating from the mating bite made it hard to tell if Cas had actually broken skin or not, not that it mattered either way. He arched against Cas as he let go of his thigh in favor of stroking his cock again, and Cas’s tongue lapped over the throbbing bite as his second orgasm overtook him. The sensations had Dean coming unexpectedly seconds later, crying out weakly as Cas’s hand continued to pass over his pulsing cock with a wet sound. 

Cas raised his hand to Dean’s lips without a word, his breath hitching as Dean’s tongue darted out to taste himself. A few passes of his tongue had Cas coming once more inside him with a breathless grunt, pressing deep against his prostate and circling his hips slowly. 

“See how good you taste, Omega? See why you drive me absolutely wild?” Cas murmured lowly, smearing the leftover cum over the swell of Dean’s belly, rubbing it into his skin.

Dean licked his lips and smiled lazily, his head falling back onto his pillow as Cas resumed licking at his neck. “Like how you taste better,” he said teasingly, shifting and purposely tugging at the knot. Cas growled, nipping at at Dean’s shoulder in a warning, which only spurred Dean on. 

Dean shifted again and he definitely felt a sharp fang poke at his neck. 

“Quit that, Dean,” Cas growled, tightening his arms around Dean.

“ _ Make me _ ,” Dean grinned, circling his lips and hissing when the knot tugged at his rim.

Cas gripped his hip tightly, keeping him in place, speaking through clenched teeth. “You are going to  _ hurt  _ yourself. Now stop.”

Dean tried to move once more but it was useless, Cas’s fingernails biting into his side.

“ _ Enough _ ,” Cas growled, the ever-present underlying Alpha tone heavily bleeding through and sending a shiver down Dean’s spine. He bared his neck instinctively, pressing his head down into the pillow, and after a beat he felt Cas relax behind him and dip down to nose at his neck and inhale his calming scent. He didn’t say anything for awhile as he let Cas scent and lap at his mating mark, helping his body relax until his knot released.

“I miss Rory,” Dean said finally, looking out the far window at the few cabins he could see from their place on the hill, the ones furthest away. It was just far enough that he couldn’t see the Banes’ cabin, where she’d stayed the night before, and Dean was disappointed that he couldn’t at least get a glimpse of their little redheaded angel.

Cas hummed and slid his hand around to Dean’s belly, stroking softly, causing Jack to stir under his touch. “We’ll have the whole day with her. The rest of the week, too. Every day until-” he stopped and swallowed, instead pressing a kiss to Dean’s shoulder and clearing his throat. “What do you want to do?”

Dean hummed, watching a bird flutter by the window following the barely heard cheeps of its chicks through the wall. He briefly thought the mama was a bit late in the year to be having chicks, then felt a kick in his belly and thought it was never too late. 

“Haven’t taken her fishing in a while,” he said thoughtfully. “Not that we actually get a lot of fishing done with her, but she seems to enjoy it. Plus she can splash around in the river. It’s hot enough now that the water won’t be freezing.”

Cas smiled and nodded. “Sounds like a good idea. Can you walk to the river?”

Dean huffed and lightly slapped his hand. “I’m pregnant, not an invalid. River ain’t that far. I’ll be fine.”

“I love how much you love my daughter,” Cas murmured into his neck, pressing soft kisses there. 

“ _ Our  _ daughter,” Dean corrected, and Cas hummed. 

“Of course,” he said after a beat, “our daughter. I just...I love how you’ve adopted her as your own. I mean, you  _ are  _ her mother. It’s just...still. It’s fascinating to see how you are with her. How much she loves you.”

“How much I love  _ her _ ,” Dean said softly, watching the bird flutter by the window again. “She’s an incredible kid, Cas.”

“I’m torn,” Cas said slowly, “between wanting to stay inside you and wanting this knot to let go so I can go get her.”

Dean chuckled, reaching back to squeeze Cas’s side. “Soon enough, Alpha. I figure it’d be nice to have a day at the lake, maybe pack a lunch and have a picnic. Just the three of us. I think that sounds...nice.”

Cas rubbed gently up and down Dean’s side and kissed the back of his neck. “I love you.”

“Oh really?” Dean smiled, speaking softly. “I never knew. I mean, I wasn’t sure. You only tell me like ten times a day.”

“Clearly not enough,” Cas said solemnly. “I will endeavor to do better.”

Dean chuckled and twisted his head to look back at Cas. “I love you, too.”

\----

An hour later and they were both cleaned up, the cabin aired out, and Dean was preparing the picnic basket. Cas had left to go fetch Rory. Dean was looking forward to a day with his two favorite people. They didn’t get much time just for themselves and were usually surrounded by the pack, with Cas often in and out as he took care of whatever problems that arose.

Rory flew through the door and latched herself onto Dean’s leg, squeezing as she looked up at him. “Mama!” she grinned, looking slightly out of breath. “I beat papa here!”

“Did you now?” Dean smiled and placed a palm on top of her head. “You must be super fast.”

“Or I’m just getting too old to race up a hill,” Cas huffed as he stomped into the cabin. His cheeks were a little red and his hair looked even more windblown than usual. 

“You  _ are _ ancient,” Dean said teasingly and Cas managed to muster up a glare.

“He has wrinkles,” Rory said thoughtfully, looking up at her dad curiously. Dean snorted a laugh and Cas threw up his hands.

“You know, I was looking for my loving family. Have you seen them anywhere?” Cas grumbled, wiping some sweat off his brow.

“Awww,” Dean said teasingly, crossing the space between them and grabbing Cas by the back of the head, pulling him in for a kiss. “You know I love you no matter how old you get, Alpha.”

“Me too!” Rory piped up, skipping over and hugging both their legs.

Cas chuckled and bent down to pull Rory into his arms. Dean had tried to make the point before to both of them that Rory was getting to be too big to be held, but Cas wouldn’t hear of it yet. True, they had the pup coming, but Rory was still- and would always be- his baby. They had a special bond, and Dean didn’t have the heart to enforce the ‘no holding’ rule just yet.

He leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead before going back to work on the picnic basket, folding everything together and waving a hand toward the door. 

“Alright, you guys ready to go?”

“Yep!” Rory bounced excitedly, and Cas put her on her feet, where she jumped up and down in her little purple boots that weren’t necessarily fitting for the warm weather. 

“Go grab your umbrella,” Dean said, raising an eyebrow, and thankfully she went without a fuss. Unfortunately, the times they lived in meant there wasn’t sunscreen readily available, but he could still make sure she was shielded by the sun in some way since she was so pale. Thankfully, Rory didn’t argue, because she’d been burnt earlier in the summer and didn’t seem keen on reliving the experience anytime soon.

Once she had her umbrella in hand, the three of them set off towards the river. Cas carried the basket with one arm, and had the other looped around Dean’s to help steady him despite the Omega’s insistence that he was  _ fine, Cas. _ Rory skipped ahead, though she stayed in sight, hopping on rocks and picking up a stick she liked and dragging behind her. It was a slower trek than usual, since Dean had to step carefully, but Rory didn’t seem to be in a hurry and even kicked away some of the bigger rocks and sticks so Dean wouldn’t trip.

They found a good spot by the river where Dean could sit on a large boulder, and the water wasn’t too deep so Rory could splash around safely. Cas laid out a blanket and set the basket down, helping Dean settle on the boulder.

“Can I play in the water?” Rory asked, eyeing the river excitably. 

“Yes,” Cas said. “ _ Carefully _ , Rory. And don’t let me lose sight of you. And don’t get your clothes muddy. And-”

“Cas,” Dean said gently, laying a hand on his arm. “It’s a river, not the roaring rapids.”

Rory giggled and took off her boots then rolled up her pants before wading in, kicking at the water with a smile.

“Are you comfortable?” Cas asked, eyeing Dean carefully.

“As comfortable as I can be, sittin’ on a large rock,” Dean smiled, shrugging his shoulders. “I think I’ll be okay.”

Cas leaned over the rock, cradling his chin in his hands and giving Dean a sly smile. “Can I go play in the water, mama?”

Dean snorted and pushed his shoulder weakly. “ _ Go. _ ”

Cas grinned and stripped off his shirt as he turned, tossing it to the side and rolling up his own pants and kicking off his shoes before wading out to Rory, tickling her sides as he snuck up behind her. She shrieked dramatically as she doubled over in hysterical giggles, finally pulling away and splashing water in Cas’s direction. Dean sucked in a breath as Rory teetered precariously, almost falling all the way in the water, but it wasn’t like it was a big deal if she got wet, anyway. They had more than enough time to air dry before heading back to the cabin. Plus, Dean knew that being out in the heat and playing for a couple of hours would be enough to exhaust her, and she’d sleep well that night. He crossed his legs and watched them fondly with his hands clasped between his legs, smiling and waving when they looked back at him.

Cas got out after a while and approached Dean soaking wet and panting lightly. “She wears me out,” he laughed, plopping down beside Dean and rolling his shoulders.

“She does seem to have an endless amount of energy,” Dean smiled, side eyeing Cas appreciatively. He looked good all wet and half naked. He laid a hand on his belly and chuckled ruefully. “I hope this little guy is a little calmer, otherwise I think we’ll get a little overwhelmed.”

“I think we will be overwhelmed regardless of his behavior,” Cas snorted, running a hand through his damp hair and shaking it out. Dean rolled his eyes as drops of water landed on him, not for the first time reminded of a dog.

“And yet you want a litter,” he raised a brow, smirking slightly. 

“Well, by then we’ll be pros,” Cas shrugged, grinning, and Dean thought he looked years younger at that moment, the way he always did when he talked about their pups or the prospect of more. It was as if the pups actually kept him young, though Dean supposed he could understand that to a point. 

“Yeah, and I’ll be an old, unattractive maid,” Dean grumped, and Cas scoffed and shook his head, pulling him in for a kiss. 

“You stop that,” he said when he pulled away. “You’re gorgeous. You’ll always be gorgeous. No matter what you may think.”

“Mhmmm.”

“I mean it,” Cas insisted, one eyebrow raised. “Remember what I’ve taught you.”

Dean opened his mouth to speak, then promptly closed it when he felt his face heating as he registered what Cas meant, and Cas grinned again and gave him another quick kiss before winking and rushing back into the water. He scooped Rory up before she realized what was happening and spun her around, and Dean sat up a little straighter when he plunged them both into the water, shaking his head when they re-emerged.

“Both of you are gonna be sleeping outside tonight!” he yelled after them, but they either didn’t hear him or ignored him, instead splashing each other and laughing.

Dean watched with a mixture of exasperation and humor, and figured this was how most moms watched dads play with the kids. He wished he could get in there with them, but supposed splashing around in the river would have to wait until the pup was born and he got his body back. Though, he would be spending most of his time with the pup then and wouldn’t necessarily have the time or energy to play much with Rory. According to Donna, pups were quite needy the first few months and latched onto the mothers very quickly. She had said it was near impossible to leave the pup’s sight for than a few minutes before the pup began to fuss. 

When Dean had asked how the pups did around the fathers, she had just shrugged. Of course she wouldn’t know. The fathers of the other pups here weren’t exactly around. Dean wasn’t worried, though. Jack seemed fond of his dad, always kicking excitedly when Cas was near or touching Dean’s belly. Especially when Cas took his wolf form. Jack practically vibrated then.

After a while, Dean whistled and their heads whipped around, and he couldn’t help but laugh as their hair plastered to their foreheads. “Come eat,” he called out, nudging the basket with his foot. “Or at least come feed me. Mama’s hungry.”

Cas picked up a drenched Rory and tucked her under his arm as he waded through the water back up to the shore, and she squealed and kicked her feet, giggling maniacally when he reached across with his other hand and tickled her stomach. He sat her on the rock beside Dean and leaned across, pointedly shaking his head and splattering chilly water on the Omega with a cheeky grin. 

“I'd be angry if it didn't feel so damn good,” Dean groaned, digging through the basket for their fresh fruits and vegetables. He handed Rory a small container of cut cucumbers, one of her favorites, and smiled when she popped open the top and began munching on one. 

“Actually getting in might be good for you,” Cas said, taking a container of carrots from Dean and sitting them down on the rock. “Probably feel good too, cool you off and give you that nice sense of weightlessness.”

Dean cocked a brow. “Are you calling me fat?”

“Not at all, sweetheart,” Cas said sweetly, pulling him in for a kiss, then proceeding to rub his wet head all over his face and chest while Dean chuckled and weakly pushed at his shoulders. 

“Get off me, you giant dog,” Dean huffed, pulling out some apples. “May have to go in just to wash you off me.”

“What?” Cas laughed, grabbing an apple and taking a big bite, the crunch loud and crispy. “Don’t like my  _ manly _ man smell?”

“More like  _ dogly dog _ smell,” Dean snorted, digging through the basket until he spotted the cherry tomatoes. He popped one in his mouth and ignored Rory’s look of disgust. She hated cherry tomatoes. Said it was like having an eyeball in your mouth.

Cas gasped dramatically, a hand over his chest. “You wound me, Omega. I smell only for you.”

Dean rolled his eyes, but was grinning widely. “Golly, ain’t I lucky.”

Cas chuckled and settled beside his mate, making quick work of his apple before reaching for another one. His fangs sliced through the fruit easily and Dean found himself wondering if Cas craved more meat. Vegetables and fruit were more sustainable, as long the crop didn’t fail and was carefully tended. Meat on the other hand could get tricky. Sure, they had a small bit of livestock, but having livestock meant feeding them. They couldn’t afford to have too many at once, or they’d run out food. Dean even found himself craving more meat lately, wanting more than just the occasional bit of sausage or bacon in the morning. The small bits of beef in stew. Cas being...well, a wolf...Dean wondered if his natural diet was any different.

“Will Sam and Eileen be coming over anymore, papa?” Rory asked, mouth full of cucumber. 

Dean stiffened slightly but forced a smile and ruffled her wet hair. She leaned into the touch, cuddling up against his side. 

“I hope so, baby,” Cas said, throwing a glance at Dean. They hadn't talked to Rory yet about Sam definitely being her uncle, despite the fact that he already acted it. Dean supposed that Cas was waiting until he was comfortable discussing it with her, since he was always thoughtful that way. 

“He will,” Dean said with a nod, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “You really like Sam and Eileen, huh?”

“Yeah,” Rory said, smacking her lips obnoxiously until Cas tapped her on the knee and shook his head. “They're nice. And Sam's really smart. He knows a lot of cool stuff.”

Dean swallowed and tried not to take that comment personally. Rory didn’t mean anything by it, he knew that. His lack of knowledge about most things never seemed to bother her, but it hurt any time he was reminded of the fact that he just didn’t know ‘a lot of cool stuff’. 

“Yeah,” he said, clearing his throat and pointedly ignoring Cas’s intense stare. “He, um, he sure does. I bet he brings new books with him so you can read them.”

“Really?” Rory grinned, popping another cucumber slice into her mouth. “You think he has a lot? He’ll let me borrow them?”

Dean nodded, munching on another tomato. “Sure, baby. As long as you take care of them.”

“Oh, I will,” she said seriously, her face scrunched up in what Dean figured was supposed to be her ‘Alpha’ look. It was a little too cute to be taken as such. 

Dean nodded and switched out his tomatoes for some carrots. He could feel Cas’s stare, but pretended not to notice. He knew what Cas wanted to say, what he probably would say once they were alone. They’d had the argument plenty of times and it never changed. Yes, Dean would agree that he’d been  _ resourceful _ enough to survive on his own, but that didn’t equal smarts in his eyes. The fact was if one was to plop him down in any conversation among adults, he wouldn’t be able to contribute much. Aside from knowing the best places to hide from Alphas, how to fish without a pole, and how to trap small animals, Dean’s general knowledge was scattered at best. Though he was getting pretty good at repairing fences.

“Rory,” Cas started slowly, chewing and swallowing his bite of apple before offering her a bite, “you understand that come this weekend, I need you to be extra vigilant with your mama? I won't be here and you'll need to keep a close eye, make sure everything is okay, and make sure Missouri knows if they're not.”

“I know, papa,” she rolled her eyes. “I'm gonna be a good Alpha while you're gone.”

Dean chuckled and reached out to take Rory's hand, giving it a squeeze. “What would I do without you?”    

Rory snuggled to his side and laid a hand on Dean's stomach, rubbing lovingly. “I can't wait to meet my little brother and teach him all kinds of things. Oh! And I can tell him all about  _ Harry Potter,  _ and maybe one day I can teach him to fish!”

Dean snickered. “Well, baby, we were _ supposed _ to be fishing today, but I think you and your papa scared all the fish away.”

Cas put his arm around Dean, rubbing the lobe of his ear between his fingers, serving to both relax Dean and stir his heightened libido, causing him to purr quietly. He leaned over and nipped gently at the lobe closest to him, and Dean had to actively suppress a moan. 

Rory started talking with her mouth full of food, and Cas straightened and gave her a hard look, shaking his head. She huffed and chewed and swallowed before trying to speak again. 

“They'll come back, mama, and we'll get you a fish for dinner.” She smiled proudly.      

“My Alphas take such good care of me,” Dean smiled, leaning down to bump his nose with hers. She giggled and kissed his cheek, then held up an apple.

“Eat, mama,” she said firmly. Dean dutifully took the apple and bit into it, leaning against Cas contently and sighing when a strong arm wrapped around his waist. They all ate their way through most of the basket, including the freshly baked loaf of bread- or more accurately, blob of bred- that Dean was particularly proud of.

Cas made Rory wait a little while after eating before going back into the water, despite her arguments that it  _ wasn’t that deep, papa _ . Once the time was up, Cas helped Dean get his shirt off and rolled up his pants before carefully leading him into the water. They went into a slightly deeper part of the river so Dean could partially submerge without setting Cas’s anxiety on edge, even if the water was perfectly gentle. 

Cas had been right, though. The water made him feel weightless and he sighed happily, leaning back against Cas’s chest as his Alpha’s arms wrapped around his middle. Between the water and Cas’s strength, Dean felt like he was floating and the ache in his back and knees almost immediately faded away.         

Cas nuzzled his neck and Dean tried to enjoy the closeness and intimacy, even while keeping a close eye on Rory splashing about, since it would be one of the last moments they’d have before Cas left for two weeks. Not to mention the fact that they’d have minimal time, just the three of them, when Cas got back, with there only being less than two months left of his pregnancy if all went to plan. 

“Try to relax, Omega,” came Cas’s voice beside his ear, sliding his hands across his belly. 

“But Rory-”

“I’m watching her,” Cas assured him. “C’mon, close your eyes. Lay back, let me take care of you. I’ve got you.”

Dean took a deep breath and let it out slowly, finally nodding and closing his eyes. Cas readjusted his hold on him, squatting down until he was chest deep in water so that he could comfortably hold Dean in his arms. Dean laid back, and after several peaceful moments like that with only the sound of Rory’s splashing in the distance, it was easy to forget that he was being held, the warmth of Cas’s arms all but disappearing and making him feel like he was floating on his own. 

Every once and awhile Cas called out to Rory softly when she wandered off too far, or got too close to the deeper parts. Dean hardly noticed, too relaxed as he floated freely. He hadn’t felt this comfortable in  _ months _ and for a moment he forgot he was pregnant until the pup moved, no doubt feeling the foreign sensation of being submerged in water. Or, Dean lazily mused, perhaps the pup knew that feeling very well since he was essentially floating in a sack of fluid. Which was kind of gross, now that Dean thought about it. 

He purred as he felt Cas nibble at his ear then licked at his neck. “Told you,” Cas said smugly, smirking against Dean’s skin. “Feels nice, doesn’t it?”

“Mmm,” Dean hummed, lulling his head to the side, which gave the Alpha more room. Cas took advantage, nipping and licking at the mating mark. “I guess sometimes you’re right.”

Cas chuckled and nippled playfully at Dean’s ear. “You mean most times. Most times I’m right.”

“Not unless you don’t want me to give any attention to that knot of yours.”

Cas chuckled darkly and kissed his neck. “You’re mean today.”

Dean snorted. “Someone around here needs to keep you humble. If everyone keeps feeding that ego of yours your head will get so big you won’t be able to get in and out of the house.” He cracked open an eye and gave him a wicked smile.

“Mmm...or you like to test me because you enjoy the repercussions.”

“Mmm...maybe a little of both,” Dean admitted, closing his eyes again and laying back, listening to the sound of the water rippling softly around them and birds chirping in the distance.

“Mama! Mama!” Rory squealed suddenly, and Dean jerked himself up before Cas could stop him, the pup shifting to press uncomfortably on his bladder from the sudden motion. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the bright sunlight before Rory’s face came into view, and she was wading quickly over to them with a wide grin, which calmed Dean’s racing heart slightly.

“I got one!” she said proudly, holding up a stick a couple of feet long that was sharpened to a point, with a small fish speared on the end. “Look, I did it! Uncle Benny taught me how and I finally did it!” 

Cas made sure Dean was fully supporting himself before he swam forward and met Rory, taking her in his arms and walking her back over to where Dean was treading water.

“See, mama? I caught dinner for you.”

Dean smiled at her and nodded, kissing her on the cheek when Cas brought her close enough. “You sure did, baby,” he chuckled. “You’re such a good little Alpha.” 

“Well she  _ did _ learn from the best,” Cas said modestly, eyes glinting humorously. 

“You’re right,” Dean nodded sagely. “I taught her well.” 

Cas deadpanned and Rory giggled. Dean smirked and gave his Alpha a wink, and when Cas gave him the  _ look _ , he knew he was in for it later. Which was fine with him. Cas’s so called punishments usually ended very well for him. 

They didn’t spend much more time at the lake after that, and getting back out on solid land was more difficult for Dean than he wanted to admit after being wonderfully weightless for the last hour or so. Still, he trudged down the painstakingly solid dirt path all the way home, trying to make a conscious effort not to look too miserable doing so. He knew Cas was already stressed about leaving him for so long, so close to his due date, and he didn’t want to give him any reason to worry more. As it was, Dean would have Rory to keep him company in the big cabin on the hill in his absence, and Missouri and Donna had both agreed to split time with him during the day, in case he needed helping cooking or getting up and down the hill to the kitchen. Dean tried to insist that he didn’t need the help, but Cas wouldn’t hear it.

The rest of the week passed much more quickly than it had any right to. Before they knew it, they were spending their last night together before Cas and the others would be leaving the next morning. They’d be gone before the sun rose over the compound.

Sam and Eileen visited earlier that day, Eileen to offer her company at any point when the Alphas were gone- which Dean actually was sure he’d take her up on at some point- and Sam brought Rory a couple of his favorite books and gave Dean a long, affectionate hug. It was almost weird how normal things between them were beginning to get, almost entirely on their own, but then, Dean supposed that was one of the benefits of being largely driven by instinct.

Cas and Dean put Rory to bed together after several hours of drawing and an hour or so of reading, and it wasn’t until she had dozed that Dean got up to go get in their own bed. It was probably a good twenty or so minutes after that when Cas finally joined him in bed, and Dean didn’t have to ask to know that he’d been reluctant to let go.

The two of them made love slowly that night, rocking together almost silently, both of them on their sides with Cas behind and Dean’s leg thrown over his thigh. Cas nuzzled his neck, a strong arm draped across his chest, holding him close to his body despite the heat of the summer night from the open window hanging over them like a suffocating blanket. Dean’s heavy-lidded eyes just barely registered the full moon, soft light streaming through the window and illuminating a beam on the floor. It seemed fitting, for Cas’s sendoff to be making love with his heavily pregnant Omega under the light of the full moon. Almost poetic. 

Cas bit down on Dean’s mating mark as his knot locked inside and began pumping Dean deliciously full. Dean let out a whine as Cas fangs sank in deeper and deeper until he finally broke skin, and Dean’s cock lazily kicked out its own release as he felt Cas’s tongue lapping the blood from his neck.

Dean’s fangs itched to bite down as well, but their position didn’t allow him access to the Alpha’s neck. He settled for the arm draped over his chest, clamping his jaws down hard enough to break the skin. He heard Cas inhale sharply and felt his second release, flooding Dean with warmth. 

Dean lapped up the blood, purring at the taste, and breathed in the Alpha’s scent of bonfire and beaches. When the bite was clean, Dean let his head fall back on the pillow, and he relaxed as Cas quietly lapped a his neck. Neither said a word. There was nothing either could say that would make this any easier, or change the fact that Dean would be alone in just a few short hours. They simply held each other, locked together, wishing the night didn’t have to end. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, Sydney here! Gonna be honest, I've had a rough couple of weeks mentally and our inbox- between this story, Stronger than Words, and A Broken World- has a ton of comments and I hope you understand that I'm not really feeling up to responding to all of them the way I normally do. But please know that all of your comments are so appreciated, and please keep commenting! My hope is I'll feel like my normal self again when more start coming in.  
> As always, thank you so much for reading, and we hope you're enjoying!

Dean woke the instant Cas began to stir, the sun not even peeking over the horizon yet. He felt Cas kiss the back of his neck, and rub his belly, before sitting up slowly. Dean turned over onto his back and watched Cas try to rub the sleep from his eyes. Dean smiled softly and reached up, running a hand through Cas’s wild bed head. 

“Does it ever lay flat?” he mumbled quietly.

Cas snorted and shook his head. He turned and nuzzled Dean’s palm, gazing down at him lovingly. 

“Would you want it to?” 

Dean clicked his tongue. “Nah. Easier to grip this way.” 

Cas leaned down and kissed him with a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He scrubbed a hand down his face and sniffed loudly, looking around the room. He slid out of bed and dressed himself, and Dean gave himself a moment of silent enjoyment over seeing his mate’s naked form in the light of the moon for the last time for the next couple of weeks.

“Should I wake Rory?” Dean asked softly, glancing at her room.

Cas shook his head. “No. No, it’ll make it more difficult. For her, for you...for me.” He pulled a t-shirt over his shoulders and let it fall loosely around his middle. “No, I’ll tell her goodbye before I leave. No need to wake her now.” He paused with his hands casually on his hips, looking over at her door himself, tracing his bottom lip with his tongue. “‘Let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world’.”

Dean didn’t know what that meant, but he did know that Cas tended to get especially philosophical when he was emotional. He crossed over to the window overlooking the compound, watching closely for a few moments before furrowing his brow and crossing back across the cabin to the door, while Dean watched him curiously. He sat up against the headboard and covered as much of his torso as he could before Cas yanked open the door, halfway stepping outside into the night. 

When he stepped back in someone was with him, and even in the dark Dean’s exceptional night vision helped him recognize them almost immediately as Benny and Sam.

Benny gave him an awkward wave and pointedly looked away. “Mornin’, Dean. Sorry for bargin’ in on ya like this.”

Cas placed himself between the two large men and Dean, which he often did nowadays, although Dean wasn’t sure if it was a conscious decision on his part or not. 

“‘S’fine,” Dean mumbled, pulling the quilt up a little higher and draping it over his stomach. “What’s goin’ on?”

Benny opened his mouth but seemed to think better and closed it again, stepping marginally to the side to allow Sam to speak. Even in his submission Benny looked strong and stoic, clasping his hands together in front of him and holding his head high.

The scent that Sam was putting off wasn’t exactly bad, but it was strange, and Dean recognized it as a form of tension. Whatever news he had made him nervous, and the idea of that the morning they were leaving on a dangerous two-week-long mission had Dean’s own muscles tensing and a bitter scent seeping from his pores.

“It’s my mom,” Sam said flatly, his jaw set. “She wants to be the one to infiltrate the camp.”

Cas looked at Sam curiously, tilting his head slightly to the side, rolling back his shoulders and shaking them out a little as he tried to let his own tension fade. It was no wonder Sam was so tense, having been hit with news like that on the very first day of their mission.

“Will you allow it?” Cas asked calmly.

“‘S’not my decision,” Sam grumbled.

“In the absence of your father, your mother is one of _your_ Omegas,” Cas pointed out. “If you do not wish for her to do this-”  
“With all due respect, Castiel, my mother is not one you give orders to if you expect them to be followed as such.”

Dean smirked at that. Even if he had no interest in meeting the woman, it was interesting to know he’d gotten at least one trait from her. 

Cas crossed his arms over his chest and stepped back to look back at Dean, tonguing the inside of his cheek. Dean watched him quietly, still gripping the edge of the quilt around his stomach. Finally Cas squared his shoulders and dropped his arms to his sides, looking back to Sam.

“If we are to go ahead with this as our plan moving forward, can I trust that you can keep your head while knowing that your mother is in imminent danger? I understand how difficult this will be for you, but you must understand that one step out of line can and will blow our cover and put everyone in danger.”

Sam clenched his jaw, but nodded stiffly. “I understand. I can do it.”

Cas raised his head marginally as he looked at Sam, then he turned his attention to Benny, who nodded subtly. 

“Very well,” Cas said after a long pause. “Please go and tell your mother that we, and I especially, appreciate her bravery.” He nodded to Benny. “Ready the others. We leave in half an hour.”

The two men left without another word and Cas closed the door behind them, his shoulders relaxing right in front of Dean’s eyes as he pressed his forehead to the door.

“Well,” Dean said after a beat, letting the quilt pool down into his lap. “That’s a good start.” 

Cas snorted wryly and pushed off the door. “He won’t be able to keep his head straight with her in there by herself,” he muttered darkly as he began to pace. “And she’s taking an enormous risk.” 

“You all are,” Dean pointed out, watching Cas lap around the room. “It’s her choice, Cas. And it's better than sending another Alpha or Beta in there.”

“You don’t sound too worried about her,” Cas said, voice carefully neutral. 

Dean shrugged. “I don’t know her nor do I plan to. If something happened...I’d feel for Sam, but losing her wouldn’t make any difference to me. The only one I’d be worried about is my little brother.” He sighed and shrugged again. “I know how cold that sounds, but it’s the truth.” 

Cas stopped and looked at him for a moment, nothing in his stance giving away whatever was going through his mind at the moment. It was unclear if he was in disbelief, or was just nervous, or perhaps actually as worried about Sam’s concentration with Mary offering to be the one to go into the camp alone. In the little bit of time he’d known Sam and talked to him, he was sure that his mother was the most important person in his life, aside from Eileen and maybe,  _ maybe  _ Dean himself. It was logical for Cas to assume that it would make Sam mad, especially knowing how crazy it made Cas to even consider the idea of Dean going in himself.

He gave a longing look to the cabinet in the corner but shook his head and scrubbed a hand down his face, instead packing some fruits and vegetables to take with him that Dean had carefully prepared the day before. They had a few days’ journey before meeting up with the group from the Fayetteville camp, so they had to prepare as such. Dean watched him move about the cabin in silence, finally coming to sit down on the end of the bed and wrapping long fingers around Dean’s blanketed ankle.

“I understand your lack of emotion regarding your mother,” he said carefully, squeezing slightly. “However, since we last spoke about her, I have had the pleasure of meeting her.” Dean tensed, and Cas tightened his hold on his ankle, shaking his head. “When it comes down to the two of you, I will always take your side. Always. Don’t doubt that for a second. All I’m saying is...put yourself in her position and think about how you would feel, if you were forced to abandon your child and wanted desperately to reconnect with them, and they didn’t care if you lived or died. She appears to be trying to make up for how she was when she was with your father, and I think...I think if you gave her the chance, she could try with you too.”

“Cas, I  _ don’t _ -”

“There are things that you do not know, Dean. Things that might change everything you think you know about your mother.”

Dean closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Cas, I...can we just not? Right now? You’re leaving for two weeks and I don’t want our last conversation to be a fight over a woman who-” he shook his head. “Just, please?”

Cas pressed his lips into a hard line, his fingers squeezing Dean’s ankle one last time before they slipped away. 

“Alright,” he finally said, looking like he very much wanted to argue the subject, but accepting Dean’s point that it really wasn’t the time. “Just...promise me you will think on it while I’m gone? I’m just afraid that you’ll grow to regret not knowing her.”

Dean reluctantly nodded and Cas helped him out of bed. Dean dressed minimally, his old jeans and a stretched out shirt to help cover his bump. He wanted to send Cas off properly, walk him down and kiss him goodbye, even if it meant dealing with the damn hill. He knew it was good, Omega thing to do, but he was really doing it to prolong the inevitable. This would be the longest he will be apart from his mate, and the longest the pack will be without its Alpha. It was a scary thing for all of them and Dean felt it in the pit of his stomach. It would be the longest two weeks of his life.

Cas finished packing, taking as little as possible and bringing only the necessities- though Dean did see him slip a drawing of Rory’s into his pocket. 

“Hey…” Dean called out as Cas tied up the canvas bag. He slipped the bullet necklace off his neck, where it’d been since Rory gave it to him, and looped it around Cas’s neck. 

“In case you ever feel a little less than human, since I won’t be there to remind you,” Dean murmured, pulling Cas in for a kiss. “But I want you to know...I love every part of you, even the scary ones. You don’t have to keep yourself in separate pieces, Cas. At least...not for my sake.”

Cas’s eyes searched his face for a moment when Dean pulled back, and he dropped the bag to take Dean’s face in his hands and kiss him again, more urgent and desperately than before. It lasted several minutes, tongues gently prodding, soft scrapes of teeth over swollen lips, Dean tugging at Cas’s wild hair as Cas’s hands caressed his belly. Jack was unusually still, only giving off the smallest of flutters every few seconds. It was probably because he could sense the tension coming from both of them, and he reacted accordingly.

Cas finally pulled away just enough to press their foreheads together, having slowly backed Dean up against the wall. 

“I love you, Dean,” he said, his gruff voice barely breaking at the end, though he kept his face stoic and sincere. He slid a hand across Dean’s cheek and down to cup his jaw. “Rest while I’m gone. Don’t lift a finger for anything. You and my girl, you keep an eye on each other.”

“I won’t let anything happen to her,” Dean promised with a nod, and huffed a laugh. “And I can promise she won’t let anything happen to me.”

Cas sniffed once and nodded, then stepped back, grabbed his bag, and threw it over his shoulder. He disappeared into Rory’s room to say goodbye, but ended up coming back out a few minutes later with the half-sleeping redhead attached to him. Her head was on his shoulder and her arms were wrapped around his neck, her legs all but hanging freely, and Cas was doing much of the work to keep her up with a strong arm around her middle. 

Cas opened the door for Dean and walked out after him, shutting it behind them and looping an arm around Dean’s waist for the trek down the hill.

They walked slowly towards the crowd forming at the entrance to the camp. Dean had one hand on his belly, where it seemed to gravitate to naturally nowadays, and the other hand held firmly to Cas’s waist. 

Benny was already waiting at the gate, along with Sam and the volunteers he brought along from his pack. Dean caught a whiff of the scent he’d come to recognize as his mother’s and pointedly looked away from the group of strangers. He’d known she’d be here, of course, but he wasn’t going to let her presence deter him from saying goodbye to his mate.

And...he supposed,  _ maybe _ , Cas had a point.

They came to a stop by the crowd, mostly made up by Cas’s pack, all wanting to wish their Alpha and their fellow pack members a safe trip and return. They all smelled anxious, fearful. Once Cas and the others left, they would be at their most vulnerable. Without an Alpha, or even his second in command, and with no way to get word to or from the raid party. They would be left waiting, wondering, hoping.

“We’re about ready to go,” Sam said as he approached, nodding at both of them. “Missouri is packing us some basic medical supplies, whatever she can spare. Should be here any minute.”

“I’ll go give her a hand,” Cas said, and Rory whined pathetically as he tried to set her on her feet. 

“I got her,” Sam said, holding out his arms, and Cas paused for a second before passing her over. She went willingly, to only the mild surprise of Dean, and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face there, scenting him. Cas pressed a quick kiss to Dean’s forehead before heading in the direction of Missouri’s cabin. Of course, Dean knew that going to help Missouri was just Cas’s excuse for going to talk to her about him and the pup, but if that’s what Cas needed to do to feel better about his trip, he was okay with that.

“Whatcha readin’ right now, kiddo?” Sam asked Rory cheerfully, rubbing her back gently.

“I’m tryin’ to read  _ Pride and Prejudice,  _ but it’s really hard,” she said quietly, her voice small and pitiful. She’d been upset all week about Cas leaving anyway, on top of being exhausted, and was- as even Dean often seemed to forget- only a six-year-old little girl. 

“That’s a tough one,” Sam said sincerely, “but you’ll get it. Keep tryin’ for me, okay?”

Eileen walked out from the crowd, up behind Sam, giving Rory a smile and pressing her pointer finger playfully on the tip of Rory’s nose. She rested a hand on her belly and crossed over to Dean, who absolutely wasn’t beginning to get teary-eyed over seeing his pup and brother interact so sweetly, laying a hand briefly on his cheek.

“Eileen,” Dean said gruffly, clearing his throat. 

“I’m not going to pry or tell you what to do,” Eileen started, waving a hand when Dean frowned and tilted his head at her. “I just wanted to tell you that she told me you looked beautiful. If there’s one thing she’s right about, it’s that. You do look beautiful.”

Dean looked down and bit his lip, feeling a little insecure and a little of something else he couldn’t exactly decipher. Eileen reached out and took his hand, giving it a squeeze, and he looked up at her.

“Do you mind if I come by later? I’ll make dinner.” She gave him a warm smile, her chocolate brown eyes crinkling in the corners, the light provided by small torches around them dancing in her pupils. 

Dean cleared his throat and blinked rapidly, absolutely refusing the acknowledge the sting in his eyes. He nodded at her and swallowed past the lump in his throat.

“Um, yes,” he said hoarsely. “That would be great. Rory will be excited.”

“Be excited about what?” Rory called over from Sam’s arms, her tired eyes blinking at Dean. 

“It’s a surprise,” Dean winked at her. She huffed, but was too sleepy and sad to push for more.

Eileen smiled softly and nodded, giving Dean’s hand another squeeze before she let it drop. She waddled back over to Sam and Rory, tickling Rory’s sides to try and get a smile. Dean’s eyes wandered, knowing his pup was safe with them, looking around the crowd. The raid party was all gathered now, hovering near the gate as last goodbyes were said.

Sam placed Rory on her feet a few minutes later and she immediately leaned heavily on Dean’s leg, taking his hand. Dean squeezed it gently and watched Sam kiss Eileen sweetly, holding her face as he whispered softly, inches from her so she could clearly read his lips. Dean felt a surge of affection for the two and was once again struck how weird it was to have a brother, and one he already cared for as much as he did.

He spotted Cas making his way toward the crowd and watched as the Alpha handed a box to one of the Betas. Dean swallowed thickly as Cas started his way towards him, knowing this was it. No more stalling. They had to leave and he had to say goodbye.

Cas wordlessly pulled him into a kiss, soft and yet possessive, and Dean was dimly aware of the crowd suddenly growing quiet. He thought, briefly, that this was Cas claiming his Omega for everyone to see in the only way Dean would ever be comfortable with. 

They pulled away, breathing heavy, and Dean said simply: “Come home to me.”

Cas swallowed and nodded, then bent down to give Rory a tight hug. He whispered something to her then kissed her cheek before straightening. Cas took a breath, squared his shoulders, and marched towards the gate.

“Move out!” he barked, and everyone jumped into action. The raid party grabbed their gear, the gate was opened, and they each filed out. The crowd waved, calling out to them, but Dean hardly heard any of it. He stood, holding Rory’s hand, and watched Cas take the lead. Sam took the rear, his hand on the shoulder of a blond.

She looked back, briefly, and their eyes met. Dean took a shuddering breath as he gazed at her, the second seeming to last a lifetime. Then, ever so slightly, he nodded to her. She seemed to pause, almost stopping completely, then nodded back to him. The second passed and the raid party quickly disappeared into the trees, the gate closing firmly shut behind them.

Dean let out a breath and looked down at Rory, who was still staring straight forward at the gate. He wanted to pick her up and hold her to him, hug her and let her scent him and tell her everything was going to be okay. He did what he could, kneeling in front of her and taking her small face between his hands, giving her a reassuring smile through his own blurry eyes and kissing her forehead before pulling her into a long hug. 

She was uncharacteristically quiet on their trek back through the compound, holding tightly to Dean’s hand. Dean stopped a few separate times to talk with a few people, and she would stand there with an arm wrapped possessively around Dean’s thigh, pressing close. Jody and Donna were sitting on their porch in a couple of old rocking chairs- with the small blonde girl, Luna, whom Dean often found following him around- on Jody’s lap, and Ezra on Donna’s. They spoke briefly before Dean and Rory moved on, but they were stopped a few more times by Charlie, then Missouri, and even Bobby- who was not typically up for friendly conversation- before they finally made it back up to the cabin. They took the long way around, through the woods, to avoid the steepest part of the hill and to spend a little extra time together before the sun was high in the sky and it was too hot to spend more than an hour or so outside.

Once in the cabin again, Rory immediately curled up to Dean in his and Cas’s bed, sticking a thumb in her mouth. It was a habit that Dean and Cas usually reprimanded her for, but Dean didn’t have the heart to do it this time, allowing her the small reassurance. He pulled her to his side and stroked her hair as they watched the sunrise over the tree canopy in the distance. 

They fell asleep like that and didn’t wake again until the sun had fully risen, bright and hot, and Dean groaned as he pulled the window shut. They both lounged in the bed, mostly silent, Dean occasionally prodding Rory into a light conversation. 

They munched on bread and cheese for lunch, and afterwards Dean asked if Rory wanted to play with the other pups today. She declined, surprisingly, and they stayed in for a quiet day of just the two of them. They colored, drew, and read some more of  _ Harry Potter _ . They were just about done with the series and then Rory would no doubt find  a new book to read to Dean. Neither of them spoke of the blaringly absent member of their little family, how empty the place felt without him, and Dean was starting to miss the smell of Cas’s joints by the time the sun was beginning its descent.

When there was a knock at the door, Rory looked up from her mess of papers and crayons curiously. Dean opened the door and Eileen waddled in, looking flushed from the climb up the hill. 

Dean frowned. “You didn’t-”

“No, no,” she waved her hand, setting down her small basket of what Dean assumed she was going to cook for dinner. “I dragged Bobby out of his cabin to help me up. Grouchy old man hates doing anything that involves other people.”

“Eileen!” Rory smiled and ran up to her, hugging her legs. “Did you come to color?”

“Actually, I was going to make us all some dinner,” she giggled. “But we can definitely color, too.”

That seemed good enough for Rory, who grinned and went back to her drawings, plopping herself down on Cas’s big pillow in front of the coffee table. Dean watched her fondly for a moment before joining Eileen by the counter, where she was unloading a couple of slabs of some kind of meat that smelled different than anything Dean was accustomed to. It was joined by some fresh cucumber and tomatoes.

“Deer meat,” Eileen said, motioning to the meat. “Sam brought it back from his compound. Thought a little change might be nice.”

“Thank you,” Dean said with a smile, grabbing one of the cucumbers and a knife and starting to chop them. “Never had deer before. Should be interesting.”

“I think you’ll enjoy it,” Eileen said as she looked around for the pots and pans she’d need, arranging the meat on a shallow pan to place over the fire. 

They shared a little more easy conversation while they prepared dinner, and at the request of Dean (until after dinner, he promised) Rory went to her room to draw while they sat on the futon. The fire roared under the pan of meat, and Dean opened the window a crack, trying to combat the intense heat coming from the flames. 

Eileen leaned back against the futon and pushed some of the sweaty strands of hair off her forehead, then laid a hand across her large belly. She looked utterly uncomfortable, but she didn’t complain. As far as Dean could tell, she never complained. Dean looked longingly out the window, idly wondering how far the group had gotten. The reality hadn’t fully set in yet that he wouldn’t know a thing until they all walked back in through those gates. Cas had set such a specific time frame, Dean would essentially know where he would be at any given point of time...theoretically. The coming weeks were going to be stressful, to say the least, and it was at a crucial time in his pregnancy that he couldn’t let that stress get to him. He couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be for Eileen either, with her being a month further along than him.

Eileen sighed and rubbed at her belly. “My milk came in a few days ago,” she whispered, biting at her lip. “It’s...incredibly uncomfortable.” She laughed humorlessly. 

“Oh…” Dean bit his lip. If her milk was already coming in, then she was a couple weeks away, at best, before labor. Unless the pup came late, though Missouri seemed sure the pup would actually come early. Sam would still be gone, nowhere near his mate or the birth. Dean could only imagine how scared she must feel.

“I...um,” he cleared his throat and rubbed his palms over his jeans. “I could...be there. If you want. Wouldn’t be much help, but-”

“Yes,” she said, reaching for his hand and squeezing, her smile watery. “Yes, please. It would be...nice to have family there.”

Dean licked his lips and nodded, squeezing back. “Then I’ll be there. I promise.”

Eileen seemed to relax significantly at that and leaned back on the futon. “They’ll hurt a little,” she sighed, gesturing at Dean’s chest. “When it starts to come in. You’ll feel...pressure. Nipples will hurt, too. I kind of wish I could cut little holes in my shirt.”

Dean snorted a laugh, a blush on his cheeks. “Well, I don’t think Sam would mind, but the rest…”

She giggled, pushing hair out of her face again. “Sometimes I wish we just walked around naked. It’s too hot to be pregnant  _ and _ wearing clothes.”

Dean nodded with a groan, wiping at his forehead. “I melt every night. Can hardly sleep. Especially next to the  _ furnace _ that is Cas. Heat comes off that Alpha in waves.”

“Must be an Alpha thing,” Eileen said with a laugh. “I love Sam, but I found myself wanting nights alone more often than not late in the pregnancy.” She sighed. “I miss winter.”

Dean smiled and nodded. While he used to dread the cold months and the snow, since it decreased his chances of survival when he was one his own, he found himself thinking fondly of the winter now. The winter is what brought him to Eden. The visual of snow falling, of the moon reflecting off the fresh ice, of the crisp smell of precipitation in the air and the bone-chilling temperatures...they were all things he associated with Cas. Winter is when Dean began healing, when he fell in love, when he found out he had another chance to carry a pup that was all his...that would be born out of intimacy and love and affection, that would never have to want for anything.

Dean clasped his hands together and looked down at them in his lap, fidgeting nervously. “Are you afraid, Eileen?”

Eileen didn’t respond, and Dean finally looked up to see her frowning, slowly shaking her head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

Dean’s face went red and he scrubbed a hand over his mouth. Of course, she didn’t know what he’d said. She was so good at reading lips that Dean often forgot that she was deaf. 

“I’m so sorry-”

She waved a hand and gave him a smile. “No worries. What did you say?”

“Are you...afraid?”

Her brow furrowed again as she rubbed a hand absently over her belly, then tilted her head. The action gave Dean a small pang in his chest, reminding him of his Alpha. He hadn’t even been gone a day, and Dean couldn’t get him out of his head.

“Of the birth?” she asked finally, and Dean nodded. She looked thoughtful for a moment, narrowing her eyes as she looked off in the distance toward the windows. “No. No, not really. I feel...strong. I feel safe here. I’m home. When all this is over, Sam and I will be allowed to live here, with our family, with our new pup. When I was growing up, I never dreamed I would’ve had a life like this. I’ve been very lucky, and I think…” she laughed, “I’m  _ planning _ to continue to be. Some might call that disillusioned. I like to think of it as... _ optimistic. _ ”

Dean wished he had that sort of optimism. True, he felt strong and the pup felt healthy, and it was likely Cas would be back in time for the birth. But he supposed it was his habit of thinking something would go wrong. Or it was the knowledge that Bella had felt the same as well, had been healthy and ready, and her body still gave out. After all, Cas was a shifter. Maybe shifter pups just took more out of the Omega. 

“I’m...a little afraid,” Dean admitted, clutching at his belly. Eileen watched him silently, waiting patiently for him to continue. “This is the first time I’ve had good things. When me and Cas first started...I kept thinking it was dream. That I’d wake up alone and half dead, like I had been my whole life. And now I have this pup and...it’s not my first.” Eileen raised a brow at this. “But I...I lost my first. And even though I’m stronger now...healthier, I can’t help but feel like I might lose this one, too.”

“That’s perfectly reasonable,” Eileen said, hesitating only a moment then laying her hand over Dean’s belly. “I think any mother would be...nervous, in that situation. But I really feel that you and your pup will be okay. You’re stronger than you think and Cas is a strong Alpha. With your genes, your pup has every chance in the world to come out perfectly strong and healthy.”

Though Dean was usually made to feel uncomfortable when anyone in the camp besides Cas and Rory touched his belly, there was something warm and comforting about Eileen doing it. Maybe it was their new family connection, or maybe it was how comfortable Jack seemed to be with it, stretching lazily against her hand. Either way, he didn’t mind it, not even when she stroked softly with her thumb, making Jack flutter excitedly.

“It’s just, with Bella, she-”

Eileen shook her head and reached for his hand with her free hand, looking him in the eyes. “You can’t keep thinking like that, comparing your situation to hers. What happened to her, it was a fluke. It was tragic and horrible, but there was nothing that could’ve been done, nothing that could’ve given anyone any indication. And I’ve never seen it happen to anyone before, not the way it did with her. Not here.” She paused and sighed heavily. “I’m not saying you need to be the strong one here. You already are anyway, truth be told. And like I said, your worries  _ are  _ reasonable, but...I imagine that Cas is probably worried about that enough for the both of you. He was there, he saw it happen, and I know he’s trying to be strong for you too, but I also know it’s very hard for him. I think...I think because of what happened in the past, you’ll both be working to be strong for each other, and honestly, I think that’s what’ll pull you both through.”

She sat back again, finally removing her hand from Dean’s stomach, and he immediately missed the warmth.

“What you two have,” she continued, getting a faraway look in her eye as she looked behind them out the window, “it’s very special. It’s easy to see it, kind of...transcending wordly planes.” She smiled. “Seeing you two together...it’s like  _ seeing _ the feelings I have for Sam.”

Dean blushed, hiding a smile as he looked down at his belly. He never knew what to say when people said things like that. When he and Cas officially mated, the pack all told him very similar things. And he’d been awkward every single time, looking down at his feet and tugging on his shirt. Cas, on the other hand, had looked proud. Proud he’d snagged the most beautiful Omega in the world. His words, not Dean’s.

“Anyway,” Eileen chuckled as she hoisted herself off the futon. “I better check on dinner. If you let me, I’ll gab all night and end up burning it.” She waddled over toward the stove and Dean let her at it, having no idea how to cook deer meat anyway. 

But of course, like most everything else Dean had the pleasure of eating while in Eden, the deer was delicious, and a wonderful change of pace from the typical breakfast meats, fish, and occasional chicken. Rory joined them for dinner and Eileen, true to her word, sat and drew and colored with her afterward. When it was time to put her to bed, Eileen made the move to leave, but Dean insisted she stay a little longer for tea after he put Rory down. Rory gave her a big hug and kissed her belly before going off to bed, and she went down quickly. Dean assumed that Eileen’s presence was probably part of the reason for that, having somewhat distracted her from the fact that it was only the first night of many that her papa wouldn’t be home.

Eileen had already made the two of them tea when Dean emerged from Rory’s room and was sitting back on the futon, her arm propped on the back and holding up her head as she looked out the window. Dean grabbed his mug and sat down too, taking a long sip. 

Eileen ran a hand through her long hair and smiled. “Did you hear about Benny and Tasha?”

Dean laughed. “I know that he’s been spending an awful lot of time over there.”

“Mmm,” Eileen hummed as she took a sip of tea and swallowed quickly. “I think things are officially official now. No mating bite yet, but…” 

“I’m happy for him,” Dean nodded, tapping a finger on his mug. “He’s a good one. Deserves to have someone who is good, too. Weird he was single this long.” 

“Well,” Eileen shrugged. “Running this pack takes a lot of work. With Sam coming in, Benny won’t have to do as much. Which I think he’s a little relieved about. Betas aren’t meant to be in charge, even if he’s good at it.” She took another sip of her tea. “He’s very loyal to Cas, though. No one better to help him keep this pack going.”

“Except Sam?” Dean said teasingly. 

Eileen laughed and nodded. “Yes, though even I know Sam still has a lot to learn. He can be a little headstrong, wants to charge in first and ask questions later. Not because he’s arrogant, but because I think he has this need to prove himself. To Cas, to his mom...to you. He  _ wants _ to be relied on. He wants people to know he’s dependable.” 

“‘S got nothin’ to prove,” Dean said quietly. “Even the first time I met ‘im, I knew he was one of the good ones. But I don’t think anyone would be foolish enough to mistake his kindness for weakness.”

“It’s strange,” Eileen said thoughtfully, tilting her head at Dean. “Ever since I met him, I always got this sense that he was used to taking care of people. Which, considering he always felt that he had to protect Mary, makes sense. But ever since he found out about you, he seems...maybe a little less like he has to try so hard. I think knowing you, being here...perhaps makes him feel a little safer, in a sense. He seems more at ease, generally.”

“Could be you.”

“It’s more than that,” Eileen insisted. “I know the dynamic between the two of you is strange, still learning things about one another, him starting this new role as...well, ‘co-Alpha’, I guess. But while being here with me has been good for him, I can’t imagine it would have been as good if you weren’t here as well.”

Dean couldn’t fathom having that much of an impact on Sam, but he would have to take Eileen’s word for it. She would know more than anybody else, and she didn’t seem the type to blow smoke up his rear. 

“I think…” he started slowly, “this will be good for both of us. It’s sort of, um...cool, to have a brother. We don’t know each other well yet, but I like to think we can have a good relationship.”

“Yes, you can,” Eileen said earnestly. “He’s just  _ so _ excited to have a big brother. He wants to crush you in his big bear hugs, but he holds back to keep you comfortable.”

Dean laughed softly, shaking his head. “Maybe when I’m not about to pop, I’ll let him. Otherwise he might squeeze the pup out.” 

They chatted and laughed over their tea, swapping stories about their silly Alphas and their even sillier ways. Eventually Eileen took her leave, and Bobby seemed to show up just in time to help her back down the hill after asking if Dean needed anything. 

Once she was gone, Dean cleaned up the kitchen and went straight to Rory’s room. He curled up beside her, smiling when she buried her nose in his neck to scent him. He fell asleep wrapped around his little girl, her soft breathing a nice distraction from Cas’s overwhelming absence. 


	10. Chapter 10

Dean passed the next couple of days by calculating roughly where Cas and the raid party were at any given moment. By Monday, he knew they were in Wichita meeting the Fayetteville camp. By Tuesday morning, as he laid awake in their bed looking out over the sunrise over the trees, he knew Cas would be safely on the bus and heading down to Stillwater, Oklahoma to meet their camp. They would regroup there and spend the next day planning their attack, and leave the next morning on the buses until they were approximately a few hours’ walk to Fort Smith. By Thursday night, Dean couldn’t sleep, knowing that wherever Cas was, he was camping out just mere hours from Fort Smith...hours away from imminent danger.

Rory could sense his distress now, and she was equal parts helpful and troublesome. Even through her forced Alpha facade, Dean knew she was just as afraid as he was. The next day, Mary would be entering the ring by whatever means necessary to warn the others. And by Saturday, Cas would likely be actively working to free Omegas and their pups one by one.

Dean was proud of him, of course, but it didn’t help quell any of his worry or fear.

Friday morning came early, and Dean was set for an appointment with Missouri. Eileen had graciously offered to come watch Rory while he went, since Dean knew she would rather be at home for once instead of playing with her friends or spending time with Charlie. Charlie offered to help Dean down the hill and to his appointment and back, which he gratefully accepted. When she arrived around noon, Eileen was close behind her, with Bobby dutifully helping her up the hill- and if she hadn’t looked like she was going to pop before, she definitely did now. She paused at the top briefly to catch her breath, giving Dean a bright smile and a hug before he left with Charlie.

Missouri was busy with some unexpected visits from two sick pups, so Dean made himself comfortable on a far bed. He laid back, curtains drawn, and drummed his fingers on his belly. He occasionally rubbed at his sore chest, pointedly ignoring the implications of it, and tried to make his mind completely blank. Jack was stirring restlessly and he felt bigger than he had just a few days ago. Dean’s belly suddenly felt too small to hold his pup and he tried to ignore the implications of  _ that _ as well. 

“Alright, sugar.” Missouri slipped through the curtains and smiled tiredly. “Sorry ‘bout that.” 

“‘S Okay,” he shrugged. “Too busy for just you. I told Cas you need more help.”

“Good,” she snorted, taking a seat by the bed. “Maybe I’ll actually  _ get _ more help now.” 

Dean smiled as she snapped on fresh gloves and began prodding. He’d already shed his shirt, knowing she’d ask him to. 

“You’re pretty tight,” she mumbled to herself, feeling around the lower part of his stomach. “He’s moved lower. Gettin’ into position I bet.” 

Dean swallowed and nodded. “He’s, um, moving a lot.” 

“I imagine so,” Missouri nodded. “He’s getting bigger but his home ain’t. You can’t stretch anymore. He’s gettin’ cramped.” 

“S-so…” 

“So,” Missouri sighed. “It can go either way. I still think Cas will be back before you go into labor. I was expecting early, but not quite this early. But, well...the pup makes the schedule. Not us.” 

She moved to gently feel around his chest and clicked her tongue. “Milk is coming in. They feel sore?”

Dean nodded silently. 

“It will go away after he’s born. You’re in the early stages, hun. Your body is getting ready to push him out.” She sat back and nodded. “I’ll have to look at your birthing channel, too.” 

Dean swallowed and nodded, standing and shedding his pants without a word and laying back down. Missouri draped a blanket over his waist and helped him position his feet so she could get a good look. Dean sucked in a breath through his teeth as she began prodding, not having realized exactly how sore the spot had gotten since he’d been doing all he could to avoid its existence. 

“Now, I can’t measure you in the same way I can the female Omegas, but based on what I see here, I’d say you have little less than an inch of membrane left here. That’s a good sign. If all goes according to plan, that will be completely thinned before pup comes.” She tapped his thigh as she sat up and peeled off her gloves, throwing them in the trash. Dean sat up slowly with a little help from her, adjusting the blanket back over his lap. “So. Baby’s dropped, milk’s likely a week or two out, maybe less...and I’m not sure if you can tell, but he’s head down. Again, that doesn’t mean anything. That can happen as little as two to four weeks before birth, or in some cases, even longer. The membrane is usually more telling of pup’s arrival, and you’ve got time based on that.”

Dean picked absently at a nail, looking down at his belly. 

“Baby, I can smell that tension from here. You’ve gotta relax. I understand your stress, but I’m telling you now, even if Cas doesn’t make it back before, you’re in good hands here. We’re all here behind you… every one of us.”

“I want him here, Missouri,” Dean said, surprising even himself when it came out a little muddled due to the thickening of his throat. “Cas is...he’s...I can’t do it without him.”

“You can,” Missouri nodded, taking his hand in hers and patting the back. “If you have to, you  _ can _ . But I’m telling you now-” she took a deep breath, letting her shoulders drop dramatically as she let it out, “he’ll be here. I know Cas, and he wouldn’t miss it.”

“Might not have a choice,” Dean mumbled bitterly, looking down as hot tears filled his eyes.

“Baby, he’ll be here.”

Dean didn’t respond, and finally Missouri stood and wiped a tear off his cheek with her thumb, tilting his chin up to look at him. “And Missouri’s here. And I’m gonna take care of you, just like I said I would.” She laid a hand on the top of his belly. “Of both of you.”

Dean surged forward and wrapped his arms around her. She returned the embrace, kissing the top of his head, and rubbing his back softly. Missouri was soft and smelled sweet, warm, comforting. She smelled like a mom and Dean soaked it up, almost relaxing immediately in her arms. 

It was a few moments before he pulled away and Missouri patted his cheek gently, then helped him back into his clothes. 

“You come see me if anything feels weird,” she said firmly as she pulled the curtains back. “Abnormal pains, bleeding...anything. If you can’t get down that damn hill, send that little pup of yours and I’ll come to you, alright?”

Dean smiled and nodded, adjusting his shirt. “I will,” he murmured, ducking his head.

“Good,” she nodded. “Now go on. I got other patients, you know.”

Charlie was waiting for him outside when he emerged from the cabin, and he furiously wiped at his red-rimmed eyes once more as she looked at him curiously.

“Are you okay?” she asked gently as they began walking, watching him closely. 

“Yeah, fine,” Dean said quickly, giving her an unconvincing smile. “Just hormones, is all.”

“You miss Cas,” she said flatly, and Dean let out a breath and nodded.

“Yeah. ‘s just...all this is so much harder without him. I don’t know how to do any of this on my own.”

“Dean,” Charlie said softly, looping her arm through his as they began their ascent of the hill, “you’re already doing it on your own. Have been for awhile now. I see you with Rory, how far you’ve come with her, how incredible you’ve been for her...you’ve got that part down. And this part...you’re doing it. And you’re gonna see it through, because you’re fucking tough and you don’t back down.”

Dean huffed a humorless laugh. He didn’t feel as strong as Charlie seemed to think he was, but it was nice to hear, nonetheless. 

“How’s my girl doing, anyway?” Charlie said after a moment, when they’d scaled a little less than half the enormous hill and Dean had to pause to catch his breath. “I feel like I’ve only seen her in passing the last couple of weeks, with all that’s been going on.”

“She’s...okay,” Dean said after a breath, wiping some sweat from his brow. “Taking this all as well as we could hope, I guess. She’s so smart and mature, it’s sometimes easy to forget she’s only six.”

“Well, she’s about to be seven,” Charlie said cheekily with a chuckle. “I get it, though. Rory’s always been ahead of her age. She’s an old soul, that one. Like her father.”

Dean snorted and together they climbed the rest of the hill. He took another breather on the porch, slumped into a rocking chair. Charlie leaned on the railing and tilted her head. 

“Must be hard for her, though,” she sighed. “Her dad gone so much and not really knowing why.”

Dean nodded. “She knows it’s something important, that he’s saving people, but...we haven’t exactly given her the details. I just…I want her to keep her innocence as long as possible. I know she  _ needs _ to know about all the bad in the world, but I can’t bring myself to…”

“Yeah…” Charlie frowned, looking down at her feet. “I understand. We’re so sheltered here, so well protected...it can be hard to remember that not everyone is so lucky. Even if we came from...less than fortunate backgrounds. A part of us wants to believe that we’re...immune here, but the truth is we aren’t. But we tell our pups that the gates and our Alpha keep us safe, so we can all sleep at night without flinching at every sound.”

Dean hummed and rubbed a hand absently over his belly. “No, not immune. But I believe- I  _ have  _ to believe- that Cas, and now Sam, will keep us safe here. I can’t imagine all these people having to suddenly fend for themselves. Pups who have never known life outside of here. It’s a nice thought, being able to keep them blissfully unaware.” He sighed. “I’m not looking forward to the day that we have to tell Rory otherwise.”

“Well. By that time, I suppose she’ll be preparing to take up her dad’s mantle, anyway. She’ll need to know everything he does.”

Dean didn’t know how he hadn’t considered that thought before, and it made his mouth go dry. Of course, being an Alpha, he should have thought about the life his daughter would live one day, but perhaps he was just too afraid of it himself to give it any thought.

“Yeah,” is all he says, and he can feel Charlie gaze on him as he stands. “Thanks, Charlie. I’m gonna...just go in and rest now, if that’s okay.”

“Of course.” She gave him a small smile. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

She started back down the hill as Dean let himself inside, closing the door behind him and sagging against it. He really was exhausted, both mentally and physically, but he knew he didn’t have time to be with an energetic pup in the cabin.

“Hey, mama,” Rory said sweetly from her spot on the futon, curled up next to Eileen. Dean should’ve guessed she’d have a book in her hand. If she wasn’t drawing or coloring, she was reading. Though to be fair, there wasn’t much else for her to do while stuck in the cabin, anyway. 

“You look like you could use a nap,” Eileen said with a chuckle, shifting slightly in her seat to face him, face contorting briefly in pain. “That trek just gets tougher and tougher, huh?”

“Yeah,” Dean huffed, bracing himself on the counter and letting his hand slide down the wood as he crossed over to the futon. He smiled over at Rory. “Hey, baby.”

The girl grinned back and laid her head back against Eileen’s arm, looking back down at her book.

“How was the appointment?”

Dean sighed and lowered himself onto the futon, putting Rory in between him and Eileen. 

“Well...I’m close,” he mumbled, poking at his belly with a slight pout. “Milk is coming in. The pup has, um,  _ dropped _ or whatever. And, my uh...the b-birthing channel is almost ready...or whatever.”

“Wow, already?” Eileen stretched forward and, after a nod of permission, pressed her hand into Dean’s belly. “Oh, yeah. Sure enough. It’s tight right here. He’s definitely almost ready to come out.”

She frowned and leaned back, wincing slightly and taking a sharp breath. Dean frowned worriedly at her. “You okay?” he asked, eyes dancing over her form as if searching for wounds.

“Oh, I’m fine,” she waved him off. “Did Missouri say when to expect labor to start?”

Dean chewed his lip, giving her one last passover before slowly shaking his head. “Ah, no. Not really. She says I could still be three to four weeks out. She thinks Cas will be back in plenty of time.”

“That’s good,” Eileen nodded, pressing her palm onto her belly and exhaling. “Best thing to do now is to take it easy. Relax and let it come naturally.”

“Yeah. Easier said than done.”

“I can’t believe-” she flinched and shifted in her seat, wrapping her arm back around Rory’s shoulders, “can’t believe you’re already so far advanced. You still have over a month, don’t you?”

“In theory,” Dean said slowly, leaning back and watching her move carefully. “But I’ve measured big since the beginning, so maybe that’s why. Everything about this kid seems...advanced.” To put it mildly.

Eileen’s normally sickeningly sweet scent was putting off a hint of something else Dean didn’t recognize, and he wasn’t sure how he didn’t smell it before. He tilted his head and furrowed his brow, and she raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Do you...are you feeling okay?”

Eileen rolled her eyes playfully. “ _ Yes _ , Dean I’m fine. It’s just-” another wince, “-just some discomfort, is all. Didn’t sleep well last night.”

Rory stiffened by her side as Eileen tried to get comfortable, and she too sat up a little straighter and took notice, the two of them watching her with scrutinizing gazes. Rory turned to look at Dean, her features etched with concern, her little nose wrinkling.

“Mama,” she whispered, leaning over to Dean, “something’s not right.”

Dean bit his lip and looked up at Eileen again, whose face was once again contorted in pain, and let out a harsh breath. “Eileen, I think...I think we need to get you down to Missouri’s.” He pushed himself up as she leaned forward and grabbed her stomach, exhaling roughly. “Or rather...maybe get her up here.” 

“No, no,” Eileen flapped her hand around. “Really, I’m-” She gasped, grabbing her belly, and Dean was by her side faster than he thought possible. 

“Rory, shoes,” he said, working hard to keep his voice calm. “I need you to do me a favor and run to Charlie’s. Tell her we need Missouri up here.”

Rory flew off the couch and into her room, coming out seconds later with both shoes on. She dashed to the door and swung it open, taking off down the hill with the energy only a pup could have. Dean briefly thought that he had the coolest fucking kid in the world, then shook his head and focused on Eileen.

“Okay, I think you need to lie back,” Dean said, already placing hands on her shoulders to help her into position. She swallowed and nodded, breath starting to come in hard pants as she spread out on the futon. He quickly grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom, dampening it and placing it over her forehead.

“Dean, I think-” she inhaled sharply, “I think I’m in labor.”

Dean snorted, wiping sweat from her brow. “You think? What was your first clue?”

She laughed breathlessly then winced again. “I didn’t really imagine doing this here,” Eileen gestured around the room. 

“Yeah, well,” Dean shrugged, glancing at the door anxiously. “Like Missouri told me, we don’t make the schedules. The pup does.”

Eileen closed her eyes and clutched her stomach, sucking in a sharp breath and letting it out slowly. She took several more deep breaths as calmly as possible, trying to set a steady pace even through the contractions, which seemed to be escalating quickly. 

It seemed like a lifetime before Charlie and Missouri returned, and Dean looked around frantically for Rory before Charlie assured him that she’d dropped her with the Banes’.

“Alright now, what do we have going on here?” Missouri said as she walked inside, her own brow glistening with sweat from climbing the hill. She had a basket full of supplies with her that she dropped on the coffee table, taking out a pair of gloves and pulling them on, the elastic snapping around her wrists. “How far apart do you think, sugar?”

“I...I don’t-”

“A minute or so, I think,” Dean answered for her, and Missouri nodded as she carefully prodded around Eileen’s belly. 

“Okay, we won’t start pushing until you’re feeling them practically one on top of the other, okay? So we have a little time, and you’ll just have to labor and try to breathe. Can you do that for me?” 

Eileen looked more afraid than Dean had ever seen her, but she nodded to Missouri, exhaling roughly.

“Okay. Charlie? You look in that basket and grab me a blanket, the amniotic hook- looks like a big crochet needle- the forceps, and those two pair of scissors. Just lay ‘em there on the table, in case I need ‘em.”

Dean wasn’t sure what to do himself, or what he  _ could  _ do, so he pulled their extra chair up to the head of the futon and sat beside Eileen, taking her hand in his and squeezing. He wasn’t sure how much comfort it’d be at this point, but maybe at least her knowing he was there would help.

It was fascinating watching Missouri so in her element, commanding the room and being seemingly completely at ease with the situation. She and Charlie helped Eileen out of her loose pants and laid one of the thick blankets out under her, and Dean instructed Charlie to get her another from their bed to drape over her, in case she wanted to maintain any modesty- although, he was pretty sure it was one of the last things she was concerned about in that moment.

Missouri checked her cervix, surprised to find that she was already measuring around seven centimeters.

“When did these contractions start, baby?” she asked calmly.

“M-maybe...around...m-midnight or so last night? I w-wasn’t sure-” Eileen sucked in a breath and let it out shakily a moment later. “I didn’t know for sure-”

“Hey, hey, that’s okay,” Missouri assured her, patting her knee. “It’s your first. You’ll know for next time, huh?”

Eileen gave a small breathless laugh.

The time seemed to crawl and fly by all at once. Dean never left Eileen’s side, squeezing her hand, wiping away her sweat, doing anything he could to help. It was a surreal experience, watching her labor through birth and knowing he was going to be doing the same very soon. Part of him was glad to witness it beforehand, seeing what to expect when the time came for him to do this, and another part was absolutely terrified and wanted to go screaming for the hills.

Dean wasn’t sure how long Eileen pushed and strained, but the sky was darkening by the time they all heard the loud cries of a brand new pup, squirming in Missouri’s careful hands as Eileen exhaustedly gave one last push. 

Dean blinked, unable to stop staring, because...well, he’d never seen a newborn. It was...wrinkly. And covered in stuff he didn’t want to think about. With little hands and little feet and a tiny face scrunched up as it-  _ she  _ \- wailed her displeasure to the entire room.

“Oh, I know, honey,” Missouri chuckled, her face lit up despite her obvious exhaustion. “You tell ‘em.”

“H-how-is it-do-” Eileen panted, straining to sit up and look at her baby.

“It’s a girl,” Charlie beamed, her hair plastered to her sweaty face. 

“A healthy one, too,” Missouri chuckled, taking a clean, damp washcloth from Charlie to wipe the pup down. Dean supposed she’d normally use a bath, but this wasn’t a sterile clinic with a special sink to wash newborns with. “Not to worry, sugar. Ten fingers, ten toes, and one hell of a set of lungs.”

Missouri wrapped the pup up and carefully handed her to Eileen, the pup almost immediately ceasing its cries and clinging to Eileen with strong little arms. 

“Congratulations,” Missouri smiled. “You’re a mama.”

Dean wasn’t sure if Eileen was paying attention to Missouri at all at that point, or if she’d known what she said, because once the pup was in her arms, she couldn’t look at anything else. She cuddled the little wrinkly, red thing to her chest and rocked subtly, and it was as if all the hours of worry and stress and excruciating pain never existed. It was just Eileen and her pup, both healthy and happy, laying on the futon in Dean and Cas’s cabin as if they were the only two people in the world.

It was...encouraging to see. For the first time since he found out he was pregnant, Dean actually yearned for that moment with his own pup. He was ready to see him, to hold him, ready for everyone and everything around him to just fade away, however briefly.

Charlie came to stand beside Dean, resting a small hand on his shoulder and peering over at the pup, swaddled to Eileen’s chest, her eyes closed, long dark lashes casting small shadows on her cheeks. 

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she? Wow. Just...wow.”

“She...really is,” Dean said, and he was surprised at how true it felt. The pup was a living, breathing human being that Eileen’s own body created...just like Dean’s was doing with Jack. 

Eileen finally laid her head back when the pup was asleep, looking more exhausted than Dean’s sure he’s ever actually felt. She gave him a weak smile and reached out, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it, her other hand firmly resting on the pup’s back.

“Do she have a name?” Dean asked, finding it almost impossible to take his eyes off the sleeping pup.

Eileen grinned and nodded, speaking softly. “Sam and I already picked them out, just in case this were to happen. We chose Maura, after my mother, and Deanna...after you.”

“W-what?”

“Maura Deanna. We wanted a name that represented both of our families. I chose my mother. Sam chose you.” Eileen gave his hand another squeeze. “As long as you’re okay with that, of course.”

Dean hastily wiped at his eyes with his free hand, once again blaming it on the hormones, and nodded. 

“No, yeah- I mean, yeah that’s...thank you,” he stammered out, blushing slightly.

Dean paused and watched the pup breathe and squirm and cling to her mother, feeling impatient for his own pup. Carrying him was amazing, but he was ready to hold him, see him, hear him. 

“I’m sorry Sam wasn’t here,” he murmured after a while, glancing up as Missouri and Charlie began cleaning up. 

“Me, too,” Eileen sighed, looking down to nuzzle the top of her pup’s head. “But we...well, we thought it might happen while he was gone. I was prepared, as much as I could be. And he was...accepting. And anyway…” she looked up and smiled. “I had you, so I can’t really complain.”

Dean smiled back, feeling that he wasn’t a good substitute for Sam, but wasn’t going to argue with the new mom. He left her to bond with her pup and helped with what he could with clean up. They decided to leave Eileen there for the night and move her back to her cabin tomorrow. Dean didn’t mind and even offered the bed, though Eileen just shook her head, already falling asleep. Missouri wanted to stay to monitor both of them, but both Dean and Charlie insisted she was too exhausted and needed to rest. She put up little fight and left a few minutes later, after making sure Eileen felt fine and the pup looked good. Charlie stayed a little while longer to whip up the Omegas some dinner, then left shortly after. Dean ate a little, watching Eileen and Maura sleep, then packed up the food for later. He was sure Eileen would be hungry later, but for now she looked too tired for him to wake up. Dean fell asleep minutes after getting into bed, an arm wrapped around his belly.

\----

Maura woke them crying a few different times in the night when she was hungry, but she quieted quickly each time Eileen nursed her, and fell asleep immediately after. All in all, they were all so exhausted that she didn’t really disturb their sleep, and Dean found it blessedly easy to fall back to sleep each time he woke. The last time he could’ve sworn Eileen was asleep again practically as soon as she had Maura latched, but he fell asleep on his own so quickly he couldn’t be sure.

The sun was already high in the sky when Dean woke for the day, already finding Eileen awake and mostly sitting up on the futon, with a pillow pushed behind her back as Maura fed. The quilt from the night before was draped over her shoulders and around her torso, effectively covering most of her upper body, and her head was rested against the back of the futon as she looked down at her daughter.

She glanced up at Dean and gave him an apologetic smile. “I hope she didn’t keep you up too much. We’ll be out of your hair tonight so you can really rest.”

Dean sat up slowly and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, shaking his head. “I actually slept surprisingly well. Nice to have someone else in here besides a pup that likes to kick me in her sleep.”

Eileen grinned. “She’s itching to come up, Missouri said. She’s already come and gone this morning, just to check up. I told her I didn’t mind if Rory came back, but Missouri wanted to make her wait a bit longer. Probably be fine by now, I’d imagine.”

Dean hummed and nodded, looking out the window and down the hill. The compound looked busy today, people splitting wood and hauling loads over to the area of forest they’d cleared for the new cabins. It suddenly hit Dean that he hadn’t considered what was going on with the raid party in almost twenty-four hours, and he felt guilty for it. For all he knew, Cas could actually be in the camp now. He stopped that train of thought before it had the chance to derail.

“How do you feel?” Dean asked, adjusting the blanket around his lap. 

“Sore,” Eileen said immediately with a laugh. “Tired. But...good. I didn’t think I could love her more, but once I got to hold her...I can’t imagine my world without her now.”

Dean smiled and pressed his palm into his belly when he felt Jack stretch. 

_ I’m ready for you _ , he thought.  _ Mama is ready to see you. _

“She’s beautiful,” he said out loud. “She looks just like you, too. I think she has Sam’s hair, though.”

Eileen laughed and patted Maura’s already thick head of hair. “I think you’re right about that. She’ll probably steal my brush, too.”

Dean raised a brow. “Sam steals your brush?”

Eileen huffed and rolled her eyes. “All the time. He’s more of a girl about his hair then I am.”

“You ever think about cutting it in his sleep?” Dean whispered conspiratorially. 

“Only when he’s being a pushy Alpha,” she winked. “I just threaten him with a pair of scissors, and he shuts right up.”

“Maybe he equates it to his Alpha manliness,” Dean joked, and Eileen nodded and laughed. 

“Maybe so, but he shouldn’t test me if he wants to keep it.” She looked down at Maura and touched her forehead with her fingertip, trailing down to the tip of her nose. “Actually, her nose is more like Sam’s. And Mary’s, and yours. The Winchester nose.”

Dean hummed and rubbed his belly. Not for the first time, he wondered what their pup would look like. Despite Rory being the only redhead in the family, she was insistent that he would look like her. Of course, Cas hoped that he’d look more like Dean, and Dean was sure he’d look like Cas. But a mixture of all three of them...now, that would be perfect. He couldn’t imagine it, but it was a nice thought. 

The door opened suddenly and Rory bounded through, closing it a little loudly behind her, her curly hair wild and frizzy from the heat, face red and sweaty. Dean tensed and looked over at Eileen and Maura, but Maura seemed utterly disinterested, and Dean relaxed with a soft exhale, giving Rory a stern look.

“Did Missouri say you could come up here, or did you sneak away?”

Rory clasped her hands behind her back as she walked forward and pointedly ignored Dean’s stare, looking neither guilty or innocent, stopping a few feet away and standing on her tiptoes to see the baby. She inched closer and closer until she was about as far as the coffee table, then stopped and looked at Dean.

“I wanted to see the baby, mama.”

Dean frowned for a moment then nodded, leaning back on the headboard of the bed. “Only if Eileen says it’s okay.”

Rory looked to Eileen hopefully and the Omega smiled with a nod. “Of course, honey. Come on over.” 

“Be careful,” Dean said firmly as Rory stepped to the side of the futon. “Don’t handle her too roughly, Rory. And don’t-“ 

“I  _ know _ , mama,” Rory huffed, pouting slightly. “Not my first baby, you know.” 

Dean resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The girl was 6, but thought she was already an adult. 

Eileen carefully handed the content pup to Rory, reminding her to hold the head and bring her close to her chest. Dean had to admit Rory was good with the pup, holding her exactly right and staying very quiet so as not to cause a tantrum. She looked...well, like a big sister. And that absolutely did  _ not  _ bring tears to Dean’s eyes. 

“Mama,” Rory whispered. 

“Hm?” 

“Can you hurry up and have ours?” She asked, grinning widely. “I wanna hold my little brother.” 

Dean chuckled and rubbed his belly. “I’m workin’ on it, baby. I promise you’ll hold him soon.” 

“Good,” she nodded, then looked over at Eileen. “Are you and the baby spending the night with us again?”

“No, not tonight,” Eileen said sadly, shaking her head. “A couple of the other Omegas are gonna help me down to my cabin in a few hours, and we’ll be staying there. Wouldn’t want us here, anyway. The baby will keep you up all night.”

“I could get up with her for you,” Rory offered. “I could help feed her and stuff.”

Dean snorted. “I really don’t think you can, Rory.”

Rory frowned and opened her mouth- no doubt to ask why, which had become a bit of a habit of hers lately- but Maura started cooing, so Rory rocked her gently, shushing her softly. Eileen smiled and rubbed a hand down Rory’s hair, flattening some of the wild pieces, sticking up all over her head like Cas’s often did after he’d slept or gone for a run.

Dean hugged his arms tighter around his torso and looked over out the window. If all was going to plan, today Cas was slowly removing Omegas and their pups from the ring. Even if they were able to remove them undetected, it was a dangerous job. And the reality was- though Cas never said as much to Dean, too worried to stress him- there were too many refugees in that camp to save while going completely unnoticed. Dean just hoped they were able to get enough out in the beginning that once they  _ were  _ noticed, they could primarily focus on the fight and not pulling out Omegas and defenseless pups at the same time.

Jack shifted lazily. Cas and their pup seemed to be so in tune with each other, Dean hoped his uncharacteristic calmness was telling of Cas’s safety. He had to believe that his mate was okay and would make it home to him- to _ them _ \- but until Cas was back in their home, in Dean’s arms, all he could do was worry and hope.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hi, I thought I heard something from you guys about wanting Cas's POV from the raid?
> 
> **This chapter has pretty graphic descriptions of violence, blood, and gore.**  
> ALSO! This chapter takes place IN the Omega ring. CONTENT WARNING for rape- not in gratuitous detail, but there, all the same.

“She’s been in there a long time-"

“The plan is solid. All we can do now is wait.” 

Cas looked through a small break in the brush at the entrance to the camp, guarded by large Betas in towers on either side. The two of them were about 100 yards out, covered in the mud and muck they saturated themselves with to help disguise their scents. Sam had his hair pulled back out of his face and he was slightly fidgety, which set Cas more on edge than he was comfortable with. 

“You have to relax,” he ordered in a hushed tone. “Your scent is getting stronger. You'll give us away if you're not careful.”

“It's my _ mother _ in there-”

Cas gave him a stern glare. “And she  _ wanted _ to do this.”

Sam huffed softly through his nose and Cas slowly turned his attention from him back to the camp, looking for any signs of disruption. There were none, which was a good sign. Mary had been escorted in just before nightfall the night before, and it'd been quiet since then. The others had hung back, about a half mile or so, spread all around the compound, prepared to infiltrate from all sides when Cas gave the word. 

The truth was Cas was just as worried as Sam was, but he also had years of experience with this sort of thing. He knew how to remain calm, keep a clear head, and focus on the mission. He had to trust his men, and he had to trust that Mary knew what she was doing. 

They both tensed when they heard rustling up ahead, and Cas closed his eyes to listen. Two sets of footsteps, one much larger than the other, heading right for them. Cas shifted on his feet and peered through the brush, sighing softly when he spotted Benny and Mary slowly making their way towards them, crouched down in the brush. He saw Sam visibly relax as Mary and Benny came to stop beside them. 

“Well?” Cas murmured. 

“It’s…” Mary shuddered and hugged herself, her face ashen and eyes glassy. “It’s awful. Worse than we feared. A lot of them are in bad shape, but can probably make the journey. Some...some we will have to leave behind. They’re too sick or injured to move. There are a few in there that I doubt will even live until tomorrow. They’re…” she shook her head, “they’re nothing more than livestock to these Alphas. They breed them then throw them in together in little huts. There’s at least a dozen in each one. Cramped, filthy, diseased…”

They were all silent for a moment, Cas quietly fuming, his rage building into something almost tangible. 

“Are they willing to come with us?” Sam asked softly. 

“Yes,” Mary nodded. “They’re desperate. I sensed most believed me- needed to believe me- when I said our Alphas were good. A few, though...I could tell once we get them past the gates, they might run for it.” 

Cas nodded thoughtfully. “Yes...we expected as much. It’s up to them if they choose to take that chance.”

“And the pups?”

“Most are kept with the mothers,” Mary sighed, his voice shaking. “The younger ones, anyway. The older ones are taken away. Groomed, prepared...” 

“For new breeders,” Cas snarled, and turned his eyes toward the compound. “Or if the pup is Alpha, they integrate them into the system. If it’s a Beta, then they’re probably trained as a weapon.” 

“Okay, so,” Sam whispered, putting a reassuring hand on Cas’s shoulder, “we can go in tonight, start bringing them back through, a few at a time-”

“No,” Mary shook her head. “I have to be the one to go back. I blend with the other Omegas, and they’ll recognize me...the ones I’ve spoken to already. They’re quietly spreading the word now. I told them it would be me who comes back.”

Sam clenched his jaw as he squared his shoulders to her. “That was  _ not  _ part of the plan-”

“That plan was never going to work. Not with these Omegas,” Mary hissed, looking at Sam for a long time until he finally began to relax, then she turned to Cas. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean any offense by it. But these Omegas are so damaged, they would not leave by the physical hand of another Alpha. No matter how gentle you two can seem.”

Cas pressed his lips together, looking between Mary and the compound. Finally he turned to Mary, sighing and giving her a nod. “I understand. What do you propose?”

Sam raised his eyebrows.

Mary took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “There’s a small opening in the fence on the far side. Easy to miss, hidden by brush. If you can move the party to that side, they can be there for protection while I bring them out, and Benny can wait with them a mile or so out until we get all we can. There are so many in there, we can probably make a fair dent in the middle of the night before anyone realizes they’re gone, but once they do...be prepared for a fight.”

“How many are in there, do you think?” Cas asked quietly, scanning the barrier.

“At least a hundred, probably more,” Mary said instantly, and Cas nodded. “Lotta bads too...probably close to half of that.”

Cas let out a steady breath. “So they outnumber us.”

“Potentially.” Mary bit her lip, waiting for Cas to respond, but he remained stoic and silent, forehead creased in concentration. She sighed, and looked back at the camp. “There are...a lot of pregnant ones in there, Castiel. I know it’s hard to tell out here, but the scents in there…” she shook her head, “they’re overwhelming. It’s going to be difficult-”

“We’ll be fine,” Cas said confidently, looking over to Sam with his eyebrows raised. “Right?”

Sam gave a curt nod, and Cas looked back at Mary.

“I can have everyone ready by sundown. Are you prepared to go back in?” 

Mary opened her mouth to speak, but Benny spoke up instead.

“Kinda soon, ain’t it, chief? I thought we were going to take a day, plan out, take a few at a time-”  
“We don’t have time for that, Benny. We need to get them out as quickly as possible and to safety.” Cas rolled his shoulders back and tugged at the collar of his shirt, giving one last long look at the camp. He hesitated, scrubbing a hand over his face. “As soon as the sun goes down, I want everyone in position. We’ll talk to the others, have them strategically placed from the gate to where Benny will be waiting. Benny, do you have a few people you trust, Omegas or Betas, preferably, that would be willing to help you move them to the buses?”

Benny nodded. “Yeah, boss.”

“Great. So Mary will go in and bring a few out at a time, who will essentially be handed off to people who can lead them to Benny. Sam- you and I will be on the frontlines here if anything goes wrong. Everyone else will jump in as needed if there’s a fight.”

Everyone looked at each other but one of them spoke, so Cas nodded and spun on his heel, heading back in the direction of the others. 

Benny caught up with him a couple minutes later, laying a hand on his shoulder to slow him down.

“I assume I’m still in a position to give you my honest opinion?”

Cas stopped and frowned, dropping back and looking up at Benny. “Of course. I always want you to speak freely with me. Nothing will change that.”

“A’ight then, I need to tell you that I think your plan is reckless and stupid, and it’s gonna get someone hurt or killed.”

Cas licked his lips and swallowed, looking down at his feet. “What else would you have me do?”

“I’d suggest trying to take out a few of the bastards in there before we ever try movin’ any of them. We got a good idea of their patrolling patterns through the huts, but we haven’t been here long enough to know how consistent they are from night to night. One wrong move, the place goes on lockdown, and anyone on the inside is stuck in there with all them and no help from the outside.”

“So what exactly are you  _ suggesting,  _ Benny?

“Look. I get you wantin’ to do things your way, because I know you’re afraid of gettin’ in there and not being able to control yourself. I know you’re afraid of makin’ it personal, being out for blood. I know you’re afraid of those Omegas seein’ what you’re capable of. Thing is, we all know you actually give a shit. We all know why you do this, and it ain’t just ‘cause you got a personal vendetta against other Alphas. But there’s times, Cas, and you know it well as I do, that Alphas deserve to die. They need to die.” He swallowed hard. “I’m tellin’ ya, man. This is one of those times. And you need to understand that before such a time as you’re standin’ outside of that fence and seein’ what walks through it.”

Cas clenched his jaw and bit his lip, frowning. “Benny...I’ve got a pregnant Omega back home that I fully intend on seeing in a week-”

“And you ain’t lost a step, boss. We can do this. We  _ need  _ to do this, or else we leave ‘em to just start collectin’ again.”

Cas rubbed the back of his neck, his fingers finding the cord of his necklace, trailing down to the bullet. He fingered the cool metal, pressing his thumb to the smooth top, seeing flashes of Ysabella’s face, then of Dean’s, right before he’d left- his smile, his swollen belly, hearing his laugh echo in his ears- and finally nodded.

“Who do we have that is most capable?” Cas asked quietly, his eyes bouncing around the forest and glowing when the moonlight caught them.

“You, obviously,” Benny sighed, shrugging his big shoulders. “Sam, me...Jesse and Caesar. They can hold their own.”

“Jesse and Caesar don’t know what I am.”

“I have a feeling they will after tonight,” Benny murmured, and adjusted his hat. “It won’t change anything, Cas. I promise you. The fact that you’re furry sometimes won’t change who you are for them.”

Cas pressed his lips into a hard line and looked towards the compound, his fingers fidgeting. His nose flared as the wind shifted, pushing the scents of Alphas, Betas, and sick Omegas into his face and igniting the already sparking rage. His inner wolf snarled and clawed to get out, thirsting for the blood of those Alphas and their weak flesh between his jaws.

Cas took a deep breath and took hold of the bullet, the metal cool in his hands.

_ In case you feel a little less human… _

Cas clenched his fingers tightly, jaw set tight.

_ But I want you to know...I love every part of you. _

Cas closed his eyes, recalling Dean’s face.

_ You don’t have to keep yourself in separate pieces, Cas. _

Cas opened his eyes, the blue intense and glowing, and he let his hand drop. 

\----

Things were always...simpler, when he let the beast out of the cage. When he let the instincts guide him and he shut his mind off. Suddenly the problems that he had stressed and fought over for who knows how long seemed so...human. Instincts were easier, less messy than pesky human problems. He was Alpha, and he was big and strong, and could kill whatever stupid creature that was dumb enough to get in his way. Like this weak, shaking thing in front of him, whose scent was putrid and put the ancient term of Alpha to shame. 

And he  _ would _ kill. And relish it. Because it was men like this who had hurt his Omega, who would’ve probably dragged his Omega to this place to become a breeding cow for all the wretched seed these poor excuses of Alphas were intent on spreading. Just the thought of one of these Alphas touching his mate had his jaws snapping and his claws digging fast into the man’s flesh. The bones broke easily, the skin tearing and the blood spilling, all within seconds and before the man could even gurgle a response.

Castiel lifted his head to scent the air, blood dripping from his muzzle. There were more, many more. Some patrolling, some sleeping, some defiling the Omegas trapped here. He’d kill them. All of them. Tear their flesh from their bones. 

He had told them, the humans, that this wasn’t personal. That he simply wanted to right a wrong. Benny- a good human, one he trusted- had said that they knew this. Knew that he ‘gave a shit’. The truth was that he lied. This  _ was _ personal. He wanted these Omegas liberated, yes, but it was much more than that. These men were everything that was wrong with this world, why his fellow wolves were all but gone, why his sweet Omega bore scars and still felt that fear to this day. They were in  _ his _ territory, poaching Omegas that rightfully belonged to him, if anyone, spreading their weak seed and their filthy lies. 

But even more than all of that, he did this for Dean. To show his Omega had the strength and power to protect him, that he could make this world safer for him and their unborn pup, that he was worthy to be his Alpha, that he could and would take care of him. 

Cas snapped his head around when another stumbled upon the bloody scene. The Beta’s eyes widened in horror and he opened his mouth to scream, but death’s jaws were on him before a sound was uttered.

There was movement in his peripheral, and he whipped around quickly, lowering his muzzle as his tail swooshed menacingly behind him. It was Benny, hunkered down in the shadows beside one of the huts, holding a bloody knife by his side that glinted in the soft light of the moon. He motioned silently to Cas and back to the huts diagonal from them, and Cas raised his head in acknowledgement. He already knew there were two others- no, make that three- just on the other side...he could  _ smell _ them. So far, so good. They hadn’t raised any alarms yet, stalking their prey quietly and ambushing in almost complete silence. These three, however, would soon stumble upon the others, so they had to act quickly.

Cas crept into the shadows of one of the huts on the far side, moving low to the ground. Even from where he stood, he could hear one of the others far up ahead dropping another one of the guards- a sound that wouldn’t register for normal humans. He sniffed the air, and yep, the metallic scent of spilled blood alerted him that at least one person in that fight was successful. He just hoped it was the right one. Another few seconds passed and still utter silence, which he took as a good sign. 

He looked over at Benny and waited- and as usual, Benny understood his conveyance of “safety”- and the Beta moved quickly to the other side of the huts, joining Cas in the shadow. They both turned the corner, sticking to the shadows beside two separate huts, moving toward the fronts where the three patrolled. Two of them, three bad guys...this one would be tricky. Cas listened intently, and Benny watched him unfailingly, waiting for such a time as they would both strike. He trusted Benny more than anyone else to be able to read him in this form, because in cases like these, the timing was crucial. Taking down three full grown men before any one of them could make a sound to alert the rest of the camp- it would be a job that needed to be completed in mere  _ seconds _ .

Cas lowered his head to the ground, ear flicking lightly as he listened to the footsteps of two of the men grow closer to where they were hidden. It was  _ almost  _ perfect, and he cast a glance at Benny, who prepared himself to pounce, adjusting his grip on his blade. Finally, Cas heard the third moving through one of the small alleys between the huts, at least three or four rows down. All he had to do now was wait until the other two were close enough, just a little longer…

They were well hidden in the shadows, good enough that in this darkness and without wolf vision, it would be hard for a regular human, Alpha or not, to see them. It worked to their advantage as the first walked past the narrow opening that housed them, his scent not giving off any kind of distress. Benny held his breath and Cas closed his eyes, listening for the perfect moment. Finally he heard the second, shuffling his feet in front of the hut, on his way in the same direction, and Cas opened his eyes and looked at Benny, who gave a definitive nod. 

The two of them tore out from between the huts, Benny taking the left and Cas taking the right. Benny’s man had his back turned, which worked well since he was the slower of the two, but Cas heard the man’s gurgling as Benny slit his throat, the thud as he hit the ground, even as Cas lunged for the throat of the man in front of him.

It was strangely satisfying, seeing the brief look of horror on their faces before he attacked, stealing the very sound straight from their throats as he tore into them. He’d missed it, if he was being completely honest with himself, and the thought would have actually scared him a bit if he’d given himself enough time to process it. Instead he focused on the physical things- the way it felt to sink sharp fangs into soft, pliant skin, the satisfaction of teeth clamping down on the trachea, the ease in which he was able to tear it completely from their bodies. In particularly neat cases, he was sometimes able to remove it completely intact, with tongues still attached. There was something kind of poetic about that; that he was able to silence these horrible excuses for humans, for Alphas, forever, sending them to graves with no hope of pleading their cases in the afterlife, if there was such a thing. For that reason, Cas kind of hoped there was.

In less than thirty seconds, they’d each effectively disarmed- to put it nicely- the two Alphas, and Benny was waiting from him in the shadows again with his dead man at his feet as Cas dragged his own back through the dust. Benny helped him then, pulling the body into the shadows and dumping him there. Cas shook sprayed blood from his fur and licked his chops, the taste of blood making him hungrier and hungrier for more. 

Benny shifted on his feet, as if sensing the bloodlust coming off the massive wolf, though he had nothing to fear. They both waited, Cas listening intently to their surroundings, his ears swiveling back and forth. Benny waited patiently, breathing steady, until finally Cas gave him a look. They moved forward, the third man finally coming close enough, and Benny’s knife was swinging in the air before the other Beta even had a chance to react. Benny cupped a hand over his mouth to muffle his gurgling as blood spilled from his neck. The man went limp and Benny dumped him into the shadows with the others.

Cas paused again and listened, hearing nothing nearby. He swished his tail and sniffed at the outer wall of the hut they were currently braced against, smelling an almost nauseating mixture of multiple Omegas on the other side. There were no windows, effectively cutting the Omegas off from any outside contact. The only door was locked, but that wasn’t a problem for him. With the guards taken out, he could easily bust the flimsy piece of wood down. However, he would be nothing more than a nightmare come to life for the Omegas inside if he did that. They would have to wait until they could get the rest of the raid party inside. 

He looked to Benny and they moved on, getting further into the camp much the same. Sticking to the shadows, quietly taking out whoever came across them. They had to hurry, though. The more they killed, the stronger the scent of blood would become, and the Alphas would start to notice something was wrong.

Cas slowly got a feel for the layout of the place. Omegas, much like livestock, were kept on the outskirts and in huts like Mary described. The huts were clustered together and ramshackle, most likely furnaces in the summer and near ice boxes in the winter. Towards the middle seemed to be the Alpha cabins, which were in much better shape. Then there were...other structures, ones that when Cas and Benny slipped by them had their noses wrinkling and chests clenching. They smelled of sex, blood, fear, and worse yet, they could hear an Omega screaming just inside. 

“Breeding hut,” Benny spat as they came to a stop, Cas’s fur standing on end and a low growl rumbling in his chest. “Mary and I...we saw how it works. They drag the Omegas in, sometimes a few at a time, with the Alphas waiting inside. They’re knotted, for hours, then tossed back into the pins, and others are dragged out for their turn.”

Cas paced back and forth, the Omega’s screams getting louder. He could tear through the building right this second, but that would alert everyone almost definitely. He was strong, but he wasn’t invincible.

He glanced at Benny and the Beta nodded, peeking out from the corner they were hiding in. 

“Two guarding the door,” he whispered. “One...no, two patrolling nearby. Jesse and Caesar aren’t close enough to signal for help.”

Help was nearby, though, even if Benny didn’t know it yet. Cas could feel it, the second it happened, and he lowered himself close to the ground and stared ahead at the hut the awful screams were coming from, his shoulders raised, hair standing on end- poised for attack.

“You done lost what damn mind you have left, boss. Ain’t no way-”

Cas saw her then, the brightly illuminated yellow eyes in the shadows across the way, waiting for the silent order. Cas watched her intently, staring straight ahead until Benny followed his gaze.

“What the hell does she think she’s doing?” he hissed. “Are you- are we really-?”

Cas shifted again, the muscles of his shoulders rippling under sleek black fur, nose low to the ground, fur bristled high on his back. The screams hurt his ears, brought his blood boiling to the surface. He extended his claws into the dusty ground, chuffing softly. 

“Okay. Alright. For the record, I think this is a bad idea.” Benny shook his head, but readied himself to strike. “But you’re the boss. Damn fools, the both of ya.”

Benny was always the voice of reason, but he wasn’t one to disobey an order, either. His logic and Cas’s instincts were what made them such a good team. 

Cas lifted his head in Mary’s direction, and she mimicked the motion, watching the two at the door. While Cas desperately wanted those two for himself, he could tell by the sound of the footsteps a few rows down that they were larger Alphas, and it would be the wiser decision to leave the smaller door guards for Mary. Additionally- as angry as it made Cas to think it- the screams coming from inside the hut would likely mask any noise that either one of them could make if Mary wasn’t able to kill one of them quick enough. 

Benny huffed quietly as Cas motioned to him with his head, and the two of them retreated from their mark, circling back around the huts to their right and coming back up on the sides, closer to the other two patrolling. Mary had moved to the far wall of the hut beside her, just feet away from the guards at the door, and she looked back to them, waiting on Cas’s signal.

Cas braced himself as the two neared, and he didn’t have to look to know that Benny was ready just from his body language and the sound of his slow, steady breathing. Focused, prepared. 

When the timing was right and Cas leapt out, followed closely by Benny, he didn’t have to look to know the tan mass of fur down the way had also left her safe position. Something in his brain just clicked, in the same way he’s sure hers did. It was a strange sensation, a feeling of camaraderie and openness unlike he’d ever experienced before, of fighting with a sister in arms, of sorts. 

His attack was a split second quicker than Benny’s, and he had the man on the ground and bleeding in enough time to look back and see the other man knock Benny’s knife from his hands, uttering only a single syllable of alarm before Benny easily snapped his neck. He left Benny to hide the two bodies, tearing back down between the row of huts to assist Mary.

Not that she needed much help. Even though she was significantly smaller than him, she was still stronger than a regular human and had fangs and claws just like he did. By the time Cas reached her, she had both guards down and only a small knife wound on her shoulder. He chuffed and nudged at her.

_ Are you okay? _

She huffed at him impatiently. Cas turned his head towards the door, faintly reminded of his mate back at home before he forced himself to focus. He pondered, briefly, on how to do this before he decided he’d have to just bust inside. There were several Alphas inside and while he’d rather not frighten the Omegas with his presence, there wasn’t much way around it.

Cas looked to Mary then Benny, who came trotting up silently. They both nodded, prepared to fight their way in. Cas strained his ears for a moment. He heard Jesse and Caesar, still alive, not too far away now. The camp was a bit of a circle, and the two were now making their way back towards the middle. He had to search for Sam, who had recklessly taken off on his own, and was now coming up behind them. Pretty soon they’d all gather in the middle and the real fight would begin.

A scream pierced through his thoughts, the Omega inside sobbing in pain, and Cas couldn’t wait anymore. He snarled and threw his weight into the door once, twice, before it splintered apart. The smell hit him first, blood and pain and even death, and he roared as he plunged inside. He reached the first Alpha, jaws clamping around his throat and wrenching him away and off the poor Omega beneath him. She screamed and scrambled away, curling into a ball by the wall, naked and frail and bleeding. Cas snapped the Alpha’s neck and tossed him away like a rag doll, eyeing the Omega for a second and smelling her utter fear. He turned away and snarled, seeing Mary pinning another Alpha down and Benny wrestling with yet another. The last one was staring in horror, unable to move, his knot locked inside. 

Cas could fix that.

He tried to be fast, so as not to be close to the Omega longer than necessary, and tore into the helpless Alpha’s throat. It was sloppy and he screamed before Cas silenced him, his body slumping. The Omega struggled, trying to get away, sobbing and clawing at the floor. Cas lowered his body, trying to look as small as possible, and quickly shoved his head between the two, clamped his jaws- there was a distinctive  _ squelch _ \- and the Omega gasped. She scrambled back, suddenly free, blinking down in shock at what was left of the knot- nothing more than a mangled mess now.

The smell of heat was heavy in the air, the sweet scent of slick, even combined with the bitterness of the Omegas’ fear, had Cas’s instincts reeling. He braced his back legs, lowering his head to the ground, chuffing, trying desperately to rid his nostrils of the scent, but it was no use. His brain was screaming, begging him to obey, and the Omega in front of him seemed to sense the shift, her eyes widening as she tried desperately to get away from him, crawling as quickly as she could to the far wall.

Meanwhile, Cas’s brain was pulsing with  _ chasematebreedchasematebreed,  _ and even as he struggled to hold himself in place, he found himself moving forward, each deliberate step a lost battle.

What little sense he had about him was disgusted with himself, but it did nothing to stop him. Benny’s yelling was vaguely registering in the background, doing nothing more than angering him...making him angry at himself, both for being unable to control it and for being the reason the entire camp would now know they were there. They had to get  _ out, now,  _ but his body wouldn’t hear of it.

He slowly closed in on the Omega who was now cowering in the corner, and he stopped inches away from her, his front paws together and head down menacingly, ears twitching, tail motionless between his spread back legs. She whimpered miserably, but as the growl in Cas’s throat rose, now audible and threatening, she scrambled quickly to her hands and knees and turned her back to him, lowering her head and presenting herself to him.

The scent of blood was just as strong as the heat slick, but the wolf part of Cas’s brain either didn’t seem to care or in that moment, wasn’t able to tell the difference. He moved forward another step- chuffing at the Omega’s foot, nosing up her calf- when he was hit with something solid over his back end, and he yelped and turned to the threat, immediately bristling and growling.

Benny stood there with a large metal rod in his hands, prepared to strike again. They half-circled one another, Cas snarling and snapping, and Benny raised the rod again, causing him to shrink back a step, fur still bristled on his back.

“You’re fucking losin’ it, boss,” Benny said sternly, raising the rod higher when Cas snapped toward him. “Hey! Get out of your damn fool head!”

The Omegas that lined the walls tried to shrink into the cement, tried desperately to get as far away from the altercation as possible. Cas saw Mary out of the corner of his eye, the tan wolf also bristled and ready for attack. But she was facing  _ him,  _ not Benny, snarling at  _ him _ . He looked back over at the Omega who’d presented to him, who was now once again in a ball in the corner of the room. Another half step toward her and Benny brought the rod down against the floor in front of him, causing Cas to stop suddenly, snapping at the metal between him and the heated Omega.

“Listen to me, chief! You gotta fight it! Look here!”

Cas huffed and tore his eyes away from the shaking Omega, looking up at the lumbering man above him. He was holding something in one hand now- effectively disarming himself, the wolf part of Cas’s brain noticed- something shiny dangling from his hand. Cas’s wild gaze zeroed in on it, the bullet hanging off the simple chain. Dean’s face came to mind, his voice, his scent. 

“This ain’t what you’re here for!” Benny jerked his head towards the Omega, who was now being guarded by Mary. “You’re better than this. Better than these fuckers who call themselves Alphas. You got a mate waiting for you. An Omega who loves you and is carrying your pup. You think he’d like what you’re doing?”

Cas blinked slowly and lowered his head, tail sagging behind him, the haze clearing from his mind. Benny stepped closer, bringing the bullet to Cas’s nose, and the wolf sniffed at it. It smelled of Dean and home, and Cas felt so disgusted with himself he could puke. He looked to the Omega and lowered his head even more, whimpering softly, an apology she couldn’t possibly understand. 

His ears pricked at the sounds from outside. He could hear Sam, Jesse, and Caesar, all shouting and scrambling as the rest of the compound became aware of their presence. He heard fighting, could smell the blood. With one last, sad look at the Omega, he dragged himself away and out of the hut, throwing himself into the melee. 

It was blur from there. Cas, angry and pent up and sick with it all, tore through the enemy. The rest of the raid party, having been waiting just outside the gates, joined the fight at some point. Mary and Benny took advantage of the situation, kicking down every door and getting the Omegas that were physically able out as quickly as possible. Some went easily, clutching their bellies or pups as they stumbled out, not even lifting their heads. A few had paused, both in horror and awe, watching the black wolf claw and bite and tear through the Alphas and Betas that had kept them captive. And a handful refused to leave, too afraid of the monster outside, despite Mary’s presence. Some were too sick to move and some were gone, their bodies left to rot where they had died. It was not the time to dwell on it, but the image of dead Omegas and even pups would haunt them for years to come.

The Omega who Cas had advanced on, now covered in Benny’s jacket, stayed by Mary’s side. She seemed to be struggling internally, watching Cas with an unreadable expression, the scene unfolding before her. Despite what Cas had done, she urged her fellow Omegas to trust Mary and Benny, to run for the gates. This was their chance; whether they make it or not, at least they could try.

The fight seemed to drag on forever, men running in to join from all sides. There was so much fighting, so much blood, it was hard to tell who was friend and who was enemy. Cas was too preoccupied to notice how his men were faring in the fight, or how many of the Omegas and pups Benny and Mary had managed to clear from the huts in the meantime. 

Cas had his jaws around the throat of one of the Betas he’d dropped when he felt the intense tingle of a knife plunged into his hip, the heat that followed as he whipped around and sank his fangs into the hand that brandished it. The man managed to pull his mangled hand back, clutching it to his chest as he screamed, and Jesse whipped around from the other side of him and cut his throat before turning back to face another attacker. Cas panted and whined, unable to reach the hilt of the knife himself, so he shook his head wildly and turned back around, intent on continuing the fight regardless of the searing pain. 

It seemed now that every one of his men had their own to fight, as the Alphas and Betas from the camp appeared to be dwindling. He vaguely registered Mary, back in her human form, leading a large group of Omegas and their pups through to the back, with Benny now pulling up the rear, preparing to fight anyone who dared to try and stop them. The Omega from the breeding hut still hung back around the side of one of the huts, watching him intently, and he could smell her fear even through the blood and sweat of the men between them.

The pain in his hip briefly intensified and he yelped and snarled, whipping around quickly, only to find Sam holding the knife in his hand and giving him a nod. He used it a moment later on an Alpha charging him, dropping him almost immediately.

Cas raised his head, scenting the air. There was still the heavy smell of an Alpha, one who lacked the amount of adrenaline a fight like this would take. One that was hiding away somewhere, likely watching. He wondered if it was the leader of the camp, the one Dean had told him about, that the men who stalked him in the woods mentioned- an Alpha they referred to as ‘Al’.

His gaze found the frightened Omega again, half-hidden behind the hut, and she pointed down toward the nicer cabins in the middle of the compound- the ones they assumed belonged to the Alphas. Their unspoken exchange seemed to go unnoticed by anyone around them, and Cas inclined his head slightly to her, taking off in the direction she’d motioned toward and ignoring the pain in his hip.

Cas kept his head low to the ground, his tail swishing back and forth as he hunted his prey, sniffing and chuffing, the sounds of the fight fading as he moved further away. He followed the scent to a circle of cabins and stopped in the center, ears swiveling. It was silent for a moment before his sensitive ears picked up the sound of footsteps, falling hastily,  _ running.  _ Cas howled, the sound loud and echoing throughout the entire camp. He gave chase, closing in on the clumsy human quickly. He snapped at the man’s ankles, closing his jaws around one and pulling. The man screamed and fell, clawing at the dirt in a desperate attempt to get away. Cas put a massive paw on his back, putting his weight on it, effectively pinning him down.

The Alpha was older. Weaker than the others, which was probably why the coward had stayed hidden while the rest fought. How he had managed to command so many Alphas was beyond Cas and didn’t really matter at this point. Cas growled and lowered his jaw, ready to snap his fangs around that pliant neck and tear it clear off his shoulders-

He heard a soft sound behind him and whipped his head around, ears laid back as he snarled, before it abruptly cut off. The Omega had followed him, clutching Benny’s huge jacket around her small frame, trembling despite the summer heat. He blinked at her, briefly confused by her presence, until he realized what she wanted to see.

This man beneath him, this poor excuse of an Alpha, was the primary reason for her suffering. For all their suffering. Maybe he had raped her, maybe he had taken away her pup, maybe he hadn’t touched her at all, but he was the reason she had been trapped here. He was the reason she had been treated less than human, tossed around as a hole to fuck and nothing else, used up and spat out. She wanted to see him die with her own eyes, to know it was finally over when he took his last breath. 

Cas looked down at the man, chuffing when he smelled piss and fear. The coward was sobbing, still trying to push wolf off, squirming and twisting to get away. He thought for a moment then locked his jaw around the back of his neck, squeezing just enough to be a threat but not fatal. The man screamed for help, but of course none came. Cas pulled and dragged the man up on his knees, facing the Omega. It was an invitation, one he hoped she understood. 

The Omega bit her lip, taking a step back, hesitating. Al reached out to her, his face pleading, desperate. 

“P-please...help me,” he whimpered, not daring to move, the fangs around his neck piercing his skin just enough to make it bleed. 

The Omega stared at him for a long moment then hardened her face, squaring her shoulders as she marched up to the two of them. Cas kept still as she came to a stop in front of them and slowly pulled a knife from Benny’s jacket. 

“No, no, please,” Al stammered, kicking his legs. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please-”

She screamed in rage and plunged the knife down, the sharp point landing right between his legs. He screamed and Cas hoped the rest of his men heard it and knew their cowardly leader was suffering. Blood blossomed from his crotch and she brought the knife down again, this time on his chest. He gurgled, pushing at her weakly, before he slumped. Cas let his body fall to the dirt and took a step back, watching the Omega curiously. She looked at him and something passed between them, the beginnings of trust and respect. She paused then slowly pocketed the knife, pointedly disarming herself. Cas bowed his head, looking as non-threatening as a giant wolf could possibly be. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, pulling the jacket back around her small frame. 

Cas huffed, blowing up some dust around his feet, then slowly moved forward, giving the Omega wide berth as he trotted around her, making a point not to inhale through his nose. He was much more level-headed than the incident earlier, but he still didn’t trust himself without Benny there as a buffer, and he didn’t want to scare her away. 

Cas trotted slowly in front of her, looking back every so often to make sure she was following and in no imminent danger. He could see that the fight ahead was rapidly dwindling, only the last few Alphas and Betas that had been brave enough to come to the fight dropping at the hands of his party. Even through it all, Cas felt a sense of pride at how well his people and those helping them had done from the jump. He could still see Benny and Mary ushering out Omegas and pups from a couple of the other huts, Benny waiting by the door and pointing them toward the fences, and Mary bringing up the rear, often with her arms around weaker Omegas. 

The flow of so many pregnant and heated Omegas burned his nostrils, but he wouldn’t let it get the best of him this time. He needed desperately to shift, to become human body and mind again, but until he knew the camp was emptied, he couldn’t risk it. He tried to ignore the burning pain in his thigh, especially knowing that the knife had missed anything important, and despite feeling the warm blood still seeping down his leg and matting into his fur. Once they were safely back at the buses he could wrap it, but for now, there were more pressing matters.

“Cas!” 

Sam raised a hand up ahead, and Cas picked up the pace slightly, trying his best to avoid limping. Sam knelt down as he approach, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked him over.

“Hey, you okay?”

Cas huffed and nudged his hand away, scanning the area. Bodies littered the ground, a few of them still gurgling weakly and spitting blood, but none of them would make it. At first glance, he didn’t recognize any of his own on the ground, and he let out an inward sigh of relief. 

He looked back at the Omega following him and Sam followed his eyeline, holding his hands out innocently as he slowly walked toward her.

“Hey, right over there, they’re getting people out of here.” He pointed in the direction of Mary and Benny, now leading another group from a far hut. “Go on, follow them out. Quickly.”

The dark-haired Omega clutched her jacket around her, looking from Sam down to Cas, then swallowed hard and nodded. She shuffled quickly to the group, falling in line with the others, Benny guiding her through with a hand hovering over her back.

Cas looked over the carnage again. There hadn’t been nearly as many Alphas as expected, which made sense. The fact that there were this many in one camp was surprising enough, given Alpha temperament. The number of Omegas, though, was overwhelming. Mary had been right; there were at least 100 if not more, all crammed together. These Alphas, knowing they were outnumbered, had controlled them with fear and withholding basic needs to make the Omegas sick and weak. No doubt threatening their pups as well to keep them in line.

“Pretty sure we got them all,” Sam said wearily, his face covered in sweat and dirt, his clothes stained with blood. “If there are any left, they ran off before the fight broke out.” He looked over the bodies with a disgusted grimace. “I don’t think we lost anyone, but…”

Sam turned to Cas with a deep frown. “There are few who are pretty badly injured. Hopefully they will make it back to the Stillwater camp to get some medical care. The supplies from Missouri will help, but…”

Cas huffed and watched Benny usher out the last the Omegas who were strong enough to make the journey. It had not gone as planned, but given the risk of this whole mission, he supposed injuries were the best case scenario. They had been at an advantage with the element of surprise on their side. And these Alphas, from the looks of them, hadn’t been fighters. Most were scraggly looking or overweight, used to an easy life of breeding with no outside force to challenge them. With weak, malnourished Omegas, there had been no reason for them to keep up their strength.

“That’s all of ‘em,” Benny mumbled as he ambled up with a slight limp. “We got a few men that are gonna stay behind. Bury the, ah, Omegas that didn’t make it. See if they can’t help with the sick ones. We didn’t think it right to just...leave ‘em here.”

Cas nodded and shifted, the pain in his thigh intensifying now that the adrenaline was wearing off. 

“Let’s get you shifted back,” Benny nodded at him. “I got your clothes by the gates. We can get that wound patched up before we leave.”

Half an hour later, Cas was back on two legs with a fresh bandage around his thigh. The buses were loaded to capacity and as he climbed into the last one, he felt an overwhelming sense of profound relief. It was done. True, they had to get these Omegas relocated and rehabilitated, and there was a lot of work to be done to get integrate them into their new packs, but he could breathe easier now. And, most importantly, he could finally go back home to his mate. 

He pulled himself up onto the last step and ignored the stabbing pain in his thigh, looking at the haunted faces of Omegas already seated. They all regarded him warily at best, some with open fear or aggression. He may have helped save them but he was still an Alpha, and therefore evil in their eyes. He sighed and ducked his head, letting Mary help him into one of the front seats. With her help he elevated his leg and leaned against the window, tired eyes glancing around. They landed on a now familiar Omega, her naked form still wrapped up in Benny’s jacket. The smell of her heat, along with the others on the bus, was strong, and Cas chuffed weakly. It was easier to handle in his human form, and the pain and bone deep weariness he felt certainly helped to quell his Alpha instincts. 

She blinked at him and he saw the look of recognition briefly cross her face. She bit her lip and looked away, and Cas closed his eyes as the bus started up and began to move out. 

\----

When Cas opened his eyes again, they were already back to the Stillwater camp. He hadn’t even realized he’d fallen asleep, the adrenaline crash putting him in a deep sleep for the entirety of the three hour bus ride. His head ached, along with his lower back, where Benny had struck him- the thought was enough to make him sick with disgust all over again- and his thigh throbbed painfully. The exhaustion was down to his very bones, his entire body so sore he felt like he’d been hit by the bus carrying them. He waited patiently while Benny and Mary helped usher the Omegas off the bus, where they’d be fed and tended to as needed, shrinking himself as small as he could against the window to appear less threatening. Of course, at the moment, he didn’t feel like he could do anything to hurt anyone if he tried. He closed his eyes again and thought of home, of his little redhead with her mismatching clothes and messy hair, and of his sweet, patient Omega and the utter warmth he radiated. That alone would get him through the rest of the journey.

Mary shook him awake again what felt like seconds later, the bus now empty save for the two of them. Cas blinked through the blurriness, her face finally coming into view, worry etched across her features. The sleeve of her shirt was stained with dried blood, and Cas frowned, before vaguely remembering her injury.

“Should get that looked at,” he mumbled, finding it difficult to make his mouth move. His mouth was dry and he could still taste the blood of countless Alphas on his tongue.

Mary huffed and took his hand, hauling him to his feet. 

“I’m fine,” she said stubbornly, helping him into the aisle and down the steps. “You’re the one who needs help. Yours is still bleeding.”

Cas huffed a laugh through his nose. “He gets that from you, you know. Headstrong. Stubborn. Resilient. Just fucking…” he grinned a little at the thought, “badass.”

Mary looked down and smiled, shoving her hands in her pockets as they walked. “Dunno if I’d say that. Just...doing what needs to be done.”

“He gets that from you, too.”

Mary tugged at her shirt and Cas almost laughed, thinking these two stubborn Omegas had a lot in common, and followed her into the camp. He moved slow and Mary kept pace with him, but didn’t try to help, letting him keep his silly Alpha pride. Stillwater camp was abuzz, the rescued Omegas huddled together as they were given blankets, food, then sent to a makeshift tent for for medical attention. It was a bit of a mess, honestly, but the Stillwater pack had been braced for this. They were the first stop for a lot of these Omegas, as the camp could only take on a few at most. Stillwater was small; growing but still a fledgling pack. Most of the    
Omegas would find their home in Kansas, with Cas and Sam.

“C’mon,” Mary tugged at his arm. “You need food and rest.”

“So do you,” Cas mumbled petulantly. 

“You first,” Mary said firmly, guiding him to the setup of tables where food had been laid out. Cas held back, letting Mary get them each a plate; he didn’t want to make the Omegas uncomfortable by getting too close.

“I should help with all of this,” Cas said when Mary came back, eyeing the throng of Omegas and pups and the Betas trying to get them organized. 

“You’ve done enough for now,” Mary, shoving the plate of food into his hands. “Your job right now is to rest and heal.”

“But-”

“ _ No _ ,” she pointed at the plate, “Food. Now.”

Cas huffed and bit into a roll. “Bad as he is…” he mumbled through his chewing.

“Good to know he’s keeping you in line, then,” she said smugly. 

Cas mumbled and wandered off, finding Benny who then firmly pushed Cas to another another tent, where cots had been laid out and a small medical staff was attending to Omegas. He picked one near the back, away from the others, and hunched over as he ate. Once he was done, he laid down and pulled a blanket over his head, hoping none of the Omegas would notice him and cause a panic. He just needed a little more sleep. He was so tired…

\----

He woke again and indeterminate amount of time later to find the tent much emptier than it was when he arrived. His leg had been tended to at some point in his sleep, tied off with gauze, a smallish red spot seeping through the white material. He touched it and found it dry. He moved to sit up...immediately groaning and falling back against the hard mattress. His stomach growled and his whole body ached, exhausted despite the rest. He blinked up at the top of the tent, the creased fabric, the evident sunlight on the other side even while the inside remained dim. 

Someone opened the front flap and entered, and he squinted against the bright light to see Mary walking towards him, a mixture of concern and relief on her face.

“You were out awhile,” she said, taking a seat on the end of his cot. “How do you feel?”

“Feel fine,” he mumbled weakly, and Mary clicked her tongue.

“Liar.”

Cas raised an eyebrow and huffed a laugh, groaning loudly as he hauled himself up to sit, his hands falling between his thighs as he hunched over, breathing harder than he was proud of from the effort. “I feel like I was mauled by something...much bigger than me. Repeatedly.”

Mary smiled.

Cas looked around the room at a couple of the heavily pregnant or injured Omegas sleeping or cowering on their cots. He sighed and looked back at Mary.

“What day is it?”

“Monday, around midday.”

Cas huffed and slung a leg over the side of the cot, followed by the other one, and stood on shaky legs, bracing himself against the metal frame. They were supposed to be on the way home by now, having a couple hours’ drive to Wichita, and a two and a half day journey from there on foot, once Jesse and Caesar left with the buses.

“S’posed to be gone by now,” Cas mumbled bitterly, trying with some difficulty to put one foot in front of the other. “Gotta get home…”

“I spoke Sam, and he already talked to Jesse and Caesar,” Mary said gently but urgently, laying a hand on his forearm, effectively pulling him to a stop. “Sam has gas rations back at our old camp. They’re willing to drive us the entire way without them, but Sam is going to replenish their supply when we get there. These Omegas can’t make that trip.  _ You  _ can’t make that trip.” 

Cas looked at her curiously, letting the words sink in.

“It’ll turn a two and a half day trip on foot to a two and a half hour trip by bus. It’ll get you to Dean sooner.” Mary nodded marginally. “We’re handling it. You don’t have to be so... _ in charge  _ all the time.”

Cas’s eyes searched her face for a long time, and finally he nodded. “Okay. Yeah, okay. If it gets them to safety faster, gets me to Dean faster...then okay.” He took her hand and squeezed it, lowering it gently to her side as he let go and continued toward the entrance to the tent.

“Castiel. Wait.”

Cas stopped, turning somewhat clumsily back to Mary and raising a brow.

She shifted awkwardly and nervously stuffed her hands in her pockets, straightening her arms as she pushed down into them. “I want to meet Dean.  _ Really  _ meet him.”

Cas narrowed his eyes slightly, finally sighing. “Mary, I...I know. I know you do. But that’s...it’s up to him. I can’t force him to do anything.” He paused, skimming his top teeth over his bottom lip. “I  _ refuse  _ to force him to do anything.”

“But you can talk to him. He’d listen to you-”

Cas snorted. “You’ll come to learn very quickly that it’s  _ me  _ who listens to Dean. Not the other way around.”

Mary gave him a resigned smile and looked down at her feet, then back up at Cas, rolling her shoulders back and giving him a small nod. “I want to know my son, Castiel. I want to know my grandchildren.”

It seemed like an eternity that they stared one another down, but Cas knew from experience with Dean that he would get nowhere trying to enforce an opinion of his that way. He finally nodded, licking his lips quickly. 

“I’ll speak with him. But I promise nothing. It’s his decision.”

Mary pressed her lips together and nodded. “Fair enough.”

Cas sighed and, with one last look at the Omegas- who were now eyeing him very curiously- wandered outside in search of food. Benny found him in seconds, of course, with an armful of food. He handed it to Cas wordlessly who dug in immediately, and together they walked slowly between the tents that had been set up.

“All in all, this-” Benny waved his hand around, “went about as smoothly as we could’ve hoped. We didn’t have enough cots, of course, but we didn’t expect as many to return with us either. We managed, though; some of the Stillwater pack members gave up their beds and camped outside.”

Cas nodded, feeling guilty that he had taken up a cot for that long. He’d been so exhausted he probably would’ve been perfectly fine in the dirt. 

“Food supply held up,” Benny continued. “The food we brought from Eden, plus the supply brought in from Fayetteville- and what they had here- was enough.”

“The men that were injured?” Cas asked quietly.

“Recovering,” Benny nodded. “One can make the journey home to Fayetteville. The other two, ours, they’ll have to stay behind and heal a bit more. But we didn’t lose anyone, so I call that a win.”

Cas sighed in relief and nodded, finishing off his food quickly and still hungry for more. It would have to wait, though, until he was back home. Maybe Dean would have something cooking, perhaps that lovely stew he was so fond of making. Even in the summer, Cas found himself craving it now. Dean put a lot of care into his food and Cas knew he stressed about it, almost having meltdowns if he burned anything. He seemed to think Cas needed a mate who made the perfect meal each time and that just wasn’t the case. It was the thought behind it that Cas loved, the fact that Dean  _ wanted _ to make him something. 

Benny chuckled suddenly and Cas was snapped from his thoughts, looking at the Beta curiously.

“Anytime you get that dopey grin on your face, I know _ exactly _ who’s on your mind,” Benny teased.

Cas blushed and smiled shyly, giving Benny a playful shove as he kept walking, and Benny followed by his side. Cas looked around at the camp, smaller and a little less advanced than theirs, but homey and efficient all the same. 

“This camp can take in maybe twenty of them,” Benny continued. “The rest we’ll have to split between Eden and the Fayetteville camp.”

“Did we ever get a final count?”

“134, including the pups.”

“And not including the unborn.” Cas stopped and put his hands on his hips, sighing as he looked around at all the Omegas milling about the camp. 

“Cabins are goin’ up in Eden fairly quickly. Everyone’s prepared to help with whatever needed. We gonna be just fine, boss.” Benny clapped him on the shoulder, and Cas raised his head slightly in a half-nod.

Cas chewed his lip. “The people you left there for the burials-?”

“Jesse’s headed back to pick ‘em up now. We’re preparing to head back to Lawrence at nightfall, ‘bout a four hour drive. Whoever we can’t take at our camp, Jesse and Caesar will take back to Fayetteville with them.” Benny squinted against the sun and pulled his cap lower over his eyes. “We made good time. All goes to plan, we’ll be back in Eden by early mornin’. Days earlier than expected. I’m sure Dean’ll be pleased.”

Cas scoffed. “Maybe at first.”

“Come on, now. You-”

“I was almost everything I promised him I wasn’t,” Cas said bluntly, turning to face Benny. “Had you not been there, Benny, I…” his throat thickened and he shook his head, swallowing hard. “It’s the last thing he needs to hear right now, and the first thing I’ll need to tell him.”

Benny took a deep breath and let it out slowly, scrubbing a hand over his mouth. “I know better, boss. Dean knows better.”

“Yeah. Well.” Cas scuffed the toe of his shoe against the soft grass, nodding absently. “You should’ve hit me harder.”

Benny snorted. “I was prepared to.”

Cas gave him a weak smile and patted his arm, then kept walking, a clear intention of wanting to be alone. As such, Benny didn’t follow, instead doubling back to make sure everything was ready for their trip home. Cas shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked, hunched over, trying to make himself look small and hoping that no one would recognize him. August was one of the hottest months of the year for Oklahoma, and it was reaching peak temperature now around noon, the sun high in the sky. The humidity had Cas’s shirt sticking to him in a mere matter of minutes, his hair sweaty and plastered to his forehead. It was almost hard to breathe with how thick the air was, and all he could think about was a refreshing swim in the lake with his daughter and mate. Perhaps he’d suggest it when they got home, before he had to break the unfortunate news to Dean about what he’d done.

“You’re...you’re him, right? You’re Castiel.”

Cas stopped and turned, coincidentally finding the dark-haired Omega from the night before several feet behind him. She was blessedly clothed now, sweating- though it was hard to tell if it was the humidity or the remnants of her heat- but overall, she’d been cleaned up and tended to nicely. She was thin and pale, with sharp cheekbones, a prominent jaw, and light blue eyes. 

He looked around quickly and let out a breath, finally nodding. 

She inhaled softly and gave him a small smile and a nod. “I’m Hannah. And I’m...I just wanted to thank you.”

“You of all people here shouldn’t be thanking me,” Cas said bitterly, draping an arm across his own chest and hooking the hand over his shoulder, tilting his head to the side. “You should be demanding an apology. And I  _ am  _ sorry, for how I behaved. It’s unthinkable, after all you went through.”

Hannah crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head, a hand rubbing across one of her arms. “You...stopped, though. Where most Alphas...well, where all have  _ not _ stopped, you did.” 

Cas scoffed and looked down at the ground. “Only because I took a steel rod to the back.” 

“No,” Hannah shook her head, taking a small step forward. “You could’ve torn through that Beta. If you had really wanted to...you could’ve taken me and no one would’ve been able to stop you.”

“I never should have even  _ tried-“  _

“I was in heat,” she said simply. “And you are an Alpha. And a...shifter on top of that. I’ve always heard shifters are wilder, dangerous. True or not, I imagine your instincts are at least stronger. And I wasn’t the only one in heat...of course you reacted.” She smiled hesitantly, biting her lip nervously. “The miracle was you stopped. I’ve never seen an Alpha do that. I didn’t know it was possible.” 

Even though Cas knew very well of typical Alpha behavior, and especially in regard to Omegas, it still floored him to hear someone completely unaware of how entirely possible it was for them to control themselves. The idea that most Omegas spent their entire lives thinking otherwise made him sick to his stomach- and equally angry- but also reminded him why exactly he did the things he did in the way of Omega refuge and rehabilitation.

Cas just pressed his lips together and nodded solemnly, shifting on his feet.

“I’ve never actually met anyone who could shift before. Only ever heard the folklore about it, but…” she took a hesitant step closer, tilting her head curiously at him. “Does it...does it hurt?”

Cas raised an eyebrow. “Um. A little, sometimes. Mostly just uncomfortable, the actual shifting part. Gets, um. More difficult with age, I suppose.”

Hannah nodded slowly. “It’s fascinating.”

Cas scoffed and looked down at his feet. He thought he couldn’t feel worse about what he’d done the night before, but now the Omega was  _ thanking  _ him and showing interest in his shifting ability. His guilt and disgust with himself weighed heavily on him, and all he could think about was his desperate need to get home.

Hannah rubbed at her arm again, a nervous gesture, and eyed Cas’s neck. 

“You...you’re mated,” she said carefully, not really a question, but still said with some uncertainty. As if she couldn’t believe an Omega would mate with an Alpha, or perhaps it was that she didn’t believe an Alpha would choose only one Omega.

“Yes,” Cas cleared his throat, fingers brushing over the mating mark. “His name is Dean.”

“You miss him.”

Cas’s lips twitched. “Very much so. If I was in better shape, I’d be halfway across the state by now. I’m anxious to get home to him.”

“How long have you been gone?”

“Over a week,” Cas sighed.

Hannah nodded. “You want to get home to claim him again.”

Cas blinked slowly and very pointedly shook his head. “No, Hannah…” he said softly. “I want to get home to him...because I miss him.”

Hannah frowned, confusion written over her face, and it saddened Cas to realize she didn’t understand that. An Alpha missing his Omega; not because he wanted sex or to  _ claim _ , but simply because he missed him. 

“So he’s...more important than your other Omegas?”

“He is my  _ only  _ Omega.”

Hannah’s frown deepened. “But..” she waved her hand around, “all of us-”

“No,” Cas shook his head again. “Hannah, you’re not- none of you- belong to me. When you get back to our camp, you are your own person, as is every other Omega who comes there with you.”

“I don’t...I don’t understand.”

Cas sighed and rubbed an exasperated hand over his mouth. “I don’t own any of you. We rescued you because that’s not the kind of life anyone should be living...Omega or otherwise. It was wrong and vile. If you’re ever to be mated, you’ll do so because you want it for yourself. Anything you do there will be your own decision.”

Hannah blinked confusedly. “I don’t know how to do that.”

“You’ll learn. And there’s plenty of others there to help you.”

There was a long silence, and Hannah finally nodded slowly. “Okay.”

Cas sighed. “I’m sorry again...about what happened yesterday. I hope you’re able to forgive me, one day. Hopefully sooner than I can forgive myself.”

Hannah shook her head almost incredulously. “Castiel, you’re already forgiven.”

Cas swallowed hard, shoving his hands back in his pockets. “No...no, don’t do that. You have a right to be angry about it. Be angry. I deserve it.”

“But-”

Cas shook his head quickly and turned, intending to get somewhere away from everyone. It was almost a cruel joke, the fact that he’d done something so horrific only to be forgiven essentially immediately when he didn’t deserve it. Of course, most of his guilt harbored on having to tell Dean what happened, hoping desperately that he’d understand but also knowing that he deserved whatever Dean said or did in response. 

He ducked his head and strode through the outskirts of the camp, avoiding eye contact with anyone he passed. Most of them tried to avoid him anyway, surely the smell of stressed Alpha enough to make them steer clear of his path. 

He walked the small encampment for an hour or so, lost in thought and stretching out his sore leg. The wound wasn’t too bad, considering, and had been tended to well and wasn’t bleeding through the gauze. Still, even after all that walking, the leg felt stiff along with the rest of his body. Shifting took a lot out of him; couple that with all out warfare and being surrounded by Omegas in heat, it was a wonder he was even standing.

When it was time to load the buses, Cas helped with what he could. Twenty or so of the rescued Omegas and their pups stayed behind, choosing to make their home in Stillwater. Cas was happy to see they were willing to try it. He had been worried a few would run for it, which he supposed could still happen, but it was likely a death sentence if they did so. 

The rest of the Omegas loaded onto the buses, looking at least a little better than before. Fed, clothed, and cleaner. Cas noticed Hannah was one of them and briefly wondered if she was going to choose Eden for her new home. He didn’t know if he wanted that or not.

Cas sat near the front again, keeping to himself, and Mary sat across from him. Her presence seemed to calm the others. If she was comfortable around an Alpha, then they at least felt comfortable enough to be on the same bus as him. 

The engine rumbled to life and they were off again. In just a few hours he’d be home with his mate and daughter, and he could put this ugly mess behind him. Though he dreaded telling Dean all the sordid details of that breeding hut, he still couldn’t wait to see his Omega.

Cas had his face pressed against the cool window, his eyes closed as the vibrations from the road slowly began to lull him to sleep, when he felt it. A sudden flare in his chest, a breathlessness, as if he’d taken a punch to the gut. He gasped, eyes flying open, and clutched his chest. His heart was hammering loudly, pumping much too quickly, and he had an odd sense of panic. Cas sat up and looked around. The Omegas were seated calmly, some sleeping and others gazing out the windows. Mary was asleep and the driver looked calm, watching the road with a slightly bored expression.

Cas swallowed and leaned back, rubbing at his chest. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, but after a few minutes he realized it wasn’t working. His stomach was churning, his brain firing off signals that  _ something was wrong _ . He needed to be somewhere.  _ Right now _ .

He stood suddenly, jostling Mary awake as he did so, and he gripped the seat in front of him tightly, trying to pay close attention to whatever his body was trying to tell him. His mating mark was tingling lightly, like it sometimes did in the presence of Dean, and like it would any time Dean were to go in heat. He laid his hand there and closed his eyes, drawing in a breath. He vaguely felt Mary’s hand on his arm, vaguely heard the sound of her voice, but it sounded far away as he tried to tap into what felt like were his wolf instincts raising an alarm.

Suddenly everything seemed so clear, the disassociation around him fading away, and he opened his eyes.

“I have to  _ go. _ ”

Mary’s face puzzled. “Cas, we’re...we’re on the way home.”

“No, you don’t understand.” Cas turned to her, eyes practically blazing. “I have to go. Something is wrong.”

“What do you-” Mary’s eyes widened as the realization hit her, breath leaving her in a  _ whoosh _ . “ _ Dean.” _

Cas looked around wildly. A couple of the Omegas had noticed and were all but cowering in fear at his sudden movements. The bus was moving far too slow- painstakingly slow, in his opinion- and he needed to be home right away.

“Stop the bus,” Cas ordered, shouldering gently past Mary and standing beside the Alpha driving the bus. He tapped his shoulder frantically. “Please. Stop the bus right now.”

The driver hesitated only a moment before applying the brakes, and Cas was opening the door before the bus even came to a complete stop. He rushed down the steps and out the door, immediately taking off into the woods, clutching a hand over his chest as he ran. He heard a distant voice behind him, though he couldn’t make out what it said. He ignored it, kicking off his shoes and tearing at his shirt as he ran, his wolf instincts already beginning to bleed into his human brain. 

Big, black paws hit the dirt and strong legs pushed off, easily doubling his speed in seconds. The pain in his thigh was ignored, unimportant and trivial compared to what was happening with his mate, who was miles away. Cas didn’t focus on the distance, or the fact that Dean was going into labor way too early. He simply ran, a black shadow cutting through the trees, his only concern getting to his Omega as fast as he can.


	12. Chapter 12

“Charie, I’m gonna need-”

“I got it!”

Missouri huffed as she shuffled around the small room dubbed the delivery room of the medic cabin, pulling out instruments and gloves and who the fuck cared because Dean was having a really hard time just  _ breathing _ .

“I can’t-” he gasped, clutching the edge of the bed. “I can’t- Missouri- he’s not here-”

“Yes, you can,” she said calmly, coming to sit at the foot of the bed and gently spreading his legs. He was in too much pain to care, another contraction hitting him hard and leaving him breathless. “You have to, baby. The pup is coming  _ now _ . You don’t get to wait.”

Dean groaned and fell back with a painful  _ thunk _ , panting heavily and arm wrapped over his swell. He wanted to push, but Missouri wouldn’t let him yet. The contractions weren’t close enough yet, or some shit-

“Damn,” Missouri sighed quietly. “Thought as much…”

“What?” Dean demanded, craning his neck as if he could see through the sheet covering his torso. “What is it?”

“I’m sorry, sugar, but we’re gonna have to break your membrane,” she clicked her tongue. “Your labor came too early and your birthing channel wasn’t quite ready yet.”

Dean looked down at her with wide eyes, clutching the sides of the bed. “I c-” he gasped when he was hit with another contraction, grunting through it as he arched his back. He fell back against the hard mattress again, panting heavily, sweat beading on his forehead. He already felt too exhausted to continue, and they’d barely just begun. “Can’t do it without him, Missouri, I can’t, I can’t…” he shook his head, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. 

“You can, and you will,” Missouri said bluntly as she prepared the tools and everything necessary for the job. “We’re right here with you. We’re doing this together.”

Charlie handed a few things to Missouri and moved up to take Dean’s hand, letting him squeeze it through the next contraction, which seemed to last forever.

“Right, I’m sorry, I forgot you two were pushing a pup out too,” Dean practically growled, uncaring how unreasonable he sounded. 

“You have to try to breathe,” Charlie said calmly, and he gave her a venomous glare, but attempted to do so anyway. He had the habit of holding his breath during the contractions, which apparently made things more difficult, not to mention making him almost feel like he was going to pass out every time.

The next contraction came on suddenly and he squeezed his eyes shut, abandoning his grip on Charlie’s hand in favor of the mattress as he gritted his teeth and tried not to push, even though everything in his body was telling him to. When he opened his eyes, Charlie had some sort of leather strap in her hand, which she shoved between his teeth.

“Bite down on this,” she instructed, taking his hand again.

“Alright, sugar, I’m gonna open up the canal now,” Missouri said, her voice frustratingly calm. “Once we do that, you can start pushing. Just hang in there.”

Dean’s voice was muffled as he grumbled some obscenity, cursing both of them before he felt a horrible pain between his legs. He screamed, biting down hard on the piece of leather, squeezing Charlie’s hand so hard he was probably hurting her. 

“Hold on, baby, we almost got it,” Missouri said. Dean sobbed, every part of him wanting to lash out and squirm away. Charlie held him down by his shoulder and it was only his willpower that kept him from snapping at her. Another contraction chose that moment to hit and it was the worst one yet. Dean arched, his head hitting the headboard hard, eyes squeezed shut. 

“Dean, breathe,” Charlie said firmly. “You have to breathe.”

Dean sucked in a breath, then another.

“I need you to start pushing now,” Missouri squeezed his thigh gently. “Nice and easy.”

Dean groaned and pushed, or at least tried, but he dizzy with exhaustion and heat. He gripped the edges of the bed and pushed again.

“You’re gonna have to push harder than that, Dean, nothing’s happening,” came Missouri’s voice, gentle and carign.

“I c-can’t,” he sobbed, slumping back, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. 

“Yes, you can.”

The familiarity of the gravely disembodied voice had Dean frantically looking around the curtained area, finally,  _ finally  _ seeing his Alpha emerge from one of the corners. He looked even more disheveled than normal, and he was breathing hard, clothes hanging messily off his body, his hair windblown.

“C-Cas?!”

Cas reached out as he approached and took Dean’s hand, holding it between his own briefly before taking his face between his hands and kissing him, desperately, urgently. He pulled back to press their foreheads together, stroking Dean’s cheeks with his thumbs.

Even through all his pain, even through his excitement for having Cas back, Dean wrinkled his nose.

“You smell like a dog.”

Cas huffed a laugh. “It’s good to see you too, Omega.”

Dean’s laugh was abruptly interrupted by his next contraction, which stole his breath and starkly reminded him of the fact that he was, indeed, in labor. He grabbed Cas’s wrist and Cas held the back of his neck as he lowered him gently back down to the mattress.

“Okay, are you with me, baby?” Cas asked him, and Dean sucked in a breath, nodding quickly. “Push on the next one, okay? Hard as you can. I’m right here.”

Dean squeezed Cas’s wrist, no longer needing to care if he was squeezing too hard or not, and pushed. He almost sobbed in relief when he felt the slightest of shifting from inside, but was too preoccupied with the next push to linger on the small victory. 

The pain was pretty fucking terrible, too. It felt like his insides were ripping apart, his hips were breaking, and everything between his legs was splitting apart. Which, apparently, was all sort of true and didn’t help with Dean’s mental state at all. Cas was right there, though, pressed close with a strong hand on the back of his neck, murmuring words of encouragement as another contraction hit.

“Cas, what the fuck?”

“What-”

“You’re  _ hurt _ .”

“Dean-”

“I told you to be careful! You’re  _ bleeding _ -”

“Dean, you’re  _ pushing a pup out of you _ , is this really the time-”

“Hey!”

Both of their heads snap to Missouri, who was bent between Dean’s legs and not looking too happy. “You mind focusing or do I need to reach up in there and-”

Dean quickly shook his head and, for the moment, set aside his worry for Cas and focused on getting his pup  _ out _ . Every push was excruciating, sending little black spots into his vision, the pain almost unbearable. The room smelled of blood and stuff Dean didn’t want to think about, and his heart was going a million beats a minute, his body trembling with the effort to just  _ keep pushing _ . 

Cas was pressed close this point, still holding the back of his neck with one hand, his other splayed across Dean’s belly as he their foreheads together. 

“Here comes another one,” Missouri warned him, just as the excruciating pain ripped through him.

“C’mon, baby, you can do this,” Cas encouraged him, rubbing his belly gently. If he was worried at all, he didn’t show it, and even if it was only for Dean’s sake, he was grateful for it. Charlie held one of his knees and Cas reached down to hold the other, and Dean pressed himself against Cas, his arm thrown around his shoulders, squeezed his eyes shut, and pushed as hard as he could.

When the contraction passed he fell back with an exasperated growl, panting heavily. 

“I can’t do it, Cas,” he sobbed in frustration, tears and sweat mixing on his cheeks. “I can’t-”

“I can see his head, sugar,” Missouri encouraged. “You can do this. You’re doing it.”

Cas’s eyes widened for just a moment, perhaps a split second of panic, just before he gave a breathy laugh, carding his fingers through the hair on the nape of Dean’s neck. 

“Look at you, Omega,” Cas whispered softly, bumping their foreheads together. “Look how good you are. Dean, I’m here. You can do this.”

He’d be tired of hearing it if it wasn’t so weirdly encouraging, despite his frustration. He gave it his all for the next couple of contractions, growling and grunting loudly with the effort, falling bonelessly back to the mattress between each one. Each second that passed he didn’t think the pain could get any worse, and yet it continued to, and he clung desperately to Cas and did what he was told.

“Alright, baby,” Missouri’s voice came from between his legs, a little more on edge than she’d been so far, “you’re officially crowning. I am touching his head right now. These next few are gonna be the hardest yet, but then you’re gonna have yourselves a baby.”

Cas smiled at him and stroked his cheek, giving him a nod. “I love you, Dean. I love you, so much.” He re-adjusted his hold on Dean again, tightly holding his knee and the back of his head, kissing him as he pressed their foreheads together. “This is it. You’ve got it.”

Dean’s chest rose and fell rapidly, and his heart felt as if it would burst from his chest any moment. There was a ringing in his ears and he felt light-headed, his vision swimming. He clung to Cas, gaining strength from just his presence, the feel of his warm hands. Dean pushed, groaning and sweating and sobbing when the pain was almost too much. All he wanted to do was collapse, sleep, pass out from the exhaustion. His pup needed him, though, needed him to keep going and push. He wouldn’t fail his pup, he wouldn’t lose another one. 

Pain washed over him again and he almost succumbed to the darkness edging into his vision, but Dean growled furiously and leaned heavily on Cas, and  _ pushed. _

“That’s it, baby,” Missouri said encouragingly. “He’s coming, he’s- one more, give me one more-”

He gasped, sucked in a breath, and pushed  _ hard,  _ and the room was suddenly filled with tiny cries. They were loud, piercing, and music to Dean’s ears. He sagged heavily, his strength all but gone, and he reached blindly. 

“I want- Cas, give me- I want my pup-”

“Shh, baby,” Cas whispered, his eyes bouncing from Dean’s sweat covered face and the squirming pup in Missouri’s arms. “She’s just cleaning him up a little-”

“How does-” Dean paused, taking a breath, and licked his lips. “How does he look? I need- I can’t see him-”

“Right here, sugar,” Missouri whispered, the pup wrapped up snugly, and started carefully handed the squirming, wrinkly thing over. 

“Wait,” Cas licked his lips, glancing at Dean anxiously. “Maybe we should...what if he’s-”

“ _ I want my damn pup!” _ Dean growled, trying to sit up and almost snapping at Cas’s hand as he tried to push him back down. 

“Okay, okay,” Missouri shushed him, her voice calm. “Here, baby, here…”

Cas backed away slightly, his breath hitching as he watched Missouri hand the bundle over to Dean, who was now sitting up again and reaching for him. His eyes bounced over Dean’s form, hands twitching helplessly by his sides, muscles tense. 

Missouri laid the pup gently in Dean’s waiting arms, his little mouth wide open as he cried, his cheeks rosy and eyes- framed with light eyelashes- squeezed tightly shut. He had a healthy head of hair, not quite as dark as Cas’s, and a round, chubby face. 

“You were right,” he heard Missouri say with a chuckle, “you got yourself a boy.”

“Told you,” Dean muttered, to no one in particular, too busy admiring the little thing in his arms that, only seconds ago, had been inside him. He laid back slowly against the pillows, and he vaguely registered Charlie behind him, adjusting his pillows to keep him slightly elevated. All the pain was muted now, at least for the moment, and nothing else mattered but the reddish- purple wiggly and wrinkly pup that had finally opened his eyes and was looking up at him.

“Jesus, he’s-” Dean smiled down at him, laying a hand over the blanket covering him, tracing his chin with the tip of his finger. “Cas-”

He looked over to find Cas just... _ standing _ there, a couple of feet away, watching him intently with his hands clenched into fists by his sides. Chest rising and falling, stance rigid, like he was expecting something to happen at any moment. It hit Dean then that he probably  _ was _ , that the last time Cas watched his mate give birth, he watched her die seconds later. 

Dean knew now that it wasn’t going to happen to him. He felt strong- renewed, even-  confident in the fact that he’d just had a completely healthy pregnancy and a mostly unproblematic birth. Cas couldn’t feel what he felt, though, and he was understandably afraid, everything in his body language and scent letting Dean know that his Alpha was in a sort of distress.

“Cas…” Dean murmured softly, breathing a little more easily now, and looked back down at his quieting pup. “Cas, come see him.”

“I, um…”

“Alpha,” Dean looked up and adjusted his arms, bringing Jack up closer to his neck so the pup could scent him. “I’m fine, okay? I feel good. Nothing’s gonna happen. Now get over here and see your son.”

Cas swallowed, his eyes looking over Dean carefully, then slowly stepped forward. He carefully lowered himself down to the bed, as if jostling Dean would suddenly make him keel over. Dean just rolled his eyes and tilted his body towards him.

Jack squirmed and wiggled, but otherwise remained silent, blinking up at both of them. His little arms were stretched forward, tiny fingers latching onto Dean’s chest, and his chubby cheek was pressed to Dean’s skin.  He mouthed at Dean’s chest, watching them both with wide eyes, his little feet kicking restlessly. 

“Hey, Jack,” Dean whispered, grinning from ear to ear, so happy and amazed that he was finally getting to hold the little thing he felt inside for so long. “I’ve been waiting for you…” he glanced at Cas and smiled. “That’s your papa…he’s been waiting for you, too.”

Cas exhaled shakily and lightly traced one of the pup’s arms, sucking in a breath when a small hand closed around his finger tightly. He blinked, feeling a tear fall, and turned to Dean with a watery smile. 

“Look what we made,” he said in awe, and Dean realized Cas never had this moment with Bella. She’d only barely been able to hold Rory before she died. Cas had to hold his pup, alone and with his heart breaking, while he watched them try fruitlessly to get Bella’s heart beating again. 

“Yeah…” Dean murmured, kissing him softly. “We did pretty good, huh?”

Cas sniffed and closed his eyes, dropping his forehead to Dean’s shoulder. He sobbed quietly, the hand that Jack was holding so tightly to shaking slightly, even as he brushed his thumb over the tiny fingers. Dean blinked the own sudden tears out of his own eyes, his heart full to practically bursting. 

“I love you,” Cas whispered into his skin, kissing him, again and again. “He’s...he’s perfect. You did...so well, Dean. I love you, so much.”

“I love you too, Cas,” Dean murmured, pressing his cheek to the top of his head. 

“He's beautiful, guys,” Charlie beamed, and Missouri took her by the arm, leading the two of them out. 

“Gonna give you three a minute,” she said as they left. 

Cas raised his head to watch them go, his breath hitching. 

“Cas,” Dean said gently, nudging him with his cheek. “Look at me. I'm _ fine.  _ She wouldn't be leaving if I wasn't.” Cas finally met his gaze and his eyes softened, and Dean gave him a smile then looked back down at Jack, tracing his cheek with the tips of his fingers. 

Jack gurgled up at him, his free hand reaching up to bop Dean on the nose. Dean beamed and scrunched up his nose, nuzzling the small hand. Jack moved his fingers down to Dean’s lips, tugging on the bottom one. 

“I think he likes me,” Dean chuckled, kissing those fingers. 

“He knows you,” Cas said softly. “Knows you’re the one who carried him. Pups are...intuitive with their mothers. All that time inside you...by the time he comes out, he already has a relationship with you.”

“You sound a little jealous,” Dean murmured, glancing at Cas.

“I suppose I am a little,” Cas shrugged, wiggling his trapped finger around with a smile. “I love him so much, but he doesn’t know me yet.”

“He does,” Dean said confidently. “He always got so excited when you were around. I wish you could have felt it. Any time you touched me, or my stomach, or that night in the forest...in your wolf form. He went crazy, Cas. He knows exactly who you are.”

Cas licked his lips and pressed them together, watching intently as he moved his finger slightly back and forth, Jack’s hold never ceasing. 

“He looks like you,” Cas said, almost in awe. “Look. The nose, the lips. All you.” He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling, a smile Dean felt like he hadn’t seen in a long time. 

“Well. I disagree. Think he looks like you. But…” Dean shrugged, mouthing at the tiny fingers, “we can argue about that later.” He gave Cas a soft smile. “I can’t believe you actually made it in time.”

“I told you I’d be here.”

“You did,” Dean conceded, “but...that was before taking early labor into account. And you...you’re back early. Really early.”

“We ended up being able to take the buses all the way back, instead of the walk from Wichita. And I, um. It was weird. I sort of... _ felt  _ your distress...on the way back. I knew something was wrong...or right, now that I’m here, and can see exactly how right it was.” He smiled down at Jack again. “So anyway, I just got off the bus, ran the rest of the way. Couldn’t wait.”

“Impatient Alpha.”

Cas hummed. “For once, it turned out to be a good quality to have.”

“Well, whatever, it got you here,” Dean smiled, nudging his shoulder with his forehead. “I missed you so much. And when the labor started, I...was so scared. I needed you here. I didn’t...couldn’t do this without you.”

“But you did,” Cas said softly. “You did so well, Omega.”

“Only because I had you,” Dean kissed up his shoulder then nuzzled his mating bite. “Needed my Alpha with me.”

Cas sighed softly. “You’re not gonna let me give you all the credit, are you?”

“Nope.”

Jack gurgled again and tugged Cas’s finger into his mouth, sucking contently. Dean chuckled and traced the pup’s chubby cheek. 

“I still don’t get how you knew he was a boy,” Cas shook his head.

“I’m magic,” Dean said very seriously. 

“Obviously.”

Dean shrugged and smiled when Jack tried to chew on Cas’s finger. “I really don’t know how...I just  _ knew _ . Like how I felt him moving before...well, before he  _ was _ moving.”

“Mm…” Cas raised a brow. “Like your  _ heightened eyesight _ -”

“I  _ did _ ,” Dean said with a huff. “Do, actually. Hasn’t gone away and I’m not lying, you ass.”

“Never said you were,” Cas said smoothly. “I just meant maybe you were mistaken-”

“Right,” Dean scoffed. “Because suddenly being able to  _ see in the dark _ is totally normal.”

“When should you feed him?” Cas asked suddenly, and Dean rolled his eyes. Cas liked to change the subject when he knew he was losing an argument.

“You’re asking me?” Dean clicked his tongue. “The new mom?”

“Well, since you seem to  _ just know _ everything-”

“You wanna explain that bloody thigh, by the way?” Dean spoke over him, raising a brow and effectively shutting Cas up. 

Cas sighed. “I’ll tell you everything later.”

Dean rolled his eyes again. “Cas-”

“Now is not the time.” 

His tone was gentle, but there was something about it that left no more room for argument, so Dean didn’t press. Though he had an idea of how bad the camp might’ve been, he couldn’t imagine having to come from seeing something so horrific, straight into a moment like this, with practically no time in between. It was a good moment now, a happy moment, and something Dean didn’t want to spoil for either of them by having Cas recount the details.

“Eileen had hers too,” Dean said quietly, and Cas pulled back slightly, raising a brow.

“She did?”

“Yeah.” Dean smiled. “A girl. Maura Deanna. Happy, healthy. Beautiful.”

“Deanna…”

Dean blushed slightly. “Yeah. Um...Sam, he...wanted to name her after me. It was a bit unexpected, but she said he was insistent on it.”

Cas smiled proudly. “You’ve made quite the impact, Omega. A regular family man.”

Dean snorted.

“Speaking of family…” Cas chewed his lip, “your mother. She, um. She followed me here. Once she realized that you were in labor, she…” he cleared his throat awkwardly. “I know you didn’t want to see her, and you still have that right, but I thought you should know.”

Dean’s face puzzled. “How did she-”

Cas shook his head. “I’ll explain everything to you later. There is...so much you don’t know. So much you need to know. And...much you need to expect.”

Dean sighed, knowing that was as good an answer as he was going to get right now. He shook his head slowly, looking down at Jack, who looked like he was trying to doze off, one hand still wrapped around Cas’s finger and the other fallen back down to Dean’s chest. He probably  _ would  _ have to feed him soon, but he’d wait for Missouri to come help with that.

“I dunno, Cas,” Dean said finally. 

“Dean, do you trust me?”

Dean eyed him warily. “You know I do.”

“And you know I would rather die than hurt you, and I would rather kill than let someone else harm you in any way.”

“Yes,” Dean said, and the surety in which he felt that was enough to scare him a little, just the idea of the lengths Cas would go to keep him safe. The gravity of Cas’s love for him was unparalleled, and it kind of baffled him now that he couldn’t always see it before.

Cas nodded, looking him in the eyes. Soulful, deep blue eyes that pulled Dean in each and every time, leaving him reeling while simultaneously grounding him in reality. 

“I’m  _ asking _ you to please consider speaking to her. Please consider letting her explain herself. Then you can decide for yourself if she deserves your forgiveness or not.”

Dean grazed his bottom lip with his teeth and looked down at his now sleeping pup, who was back to mouthing at Dean’s chest. He never wanted to let go of him, couldn’t fathom leaving him for even a day- an hour- and he certainly couldn’t imagine abandoning him. Just the thought had his gut twisting painfully, his heart racing, his Omega instincts flaring. 

If Mary had felt for him even half of what he felt for his pup, then it must have been painful for her to leave him. And while that didn’t make it okay, not by a long shot, Dean supposed be could at least let her talk. He didn’t think it would change anything, and his anger for her still simmered below the surface, but he owed Cas that much. He  _ did _ trust his Alpha and if Cas thought he should listen, then he would. 

“Fine,” he finally sighed. “But not right now, Cas. I just had my pup and I’m exhausted-“ 

“Of course, no, I wasn’t suggesting…” Cas shook his head. “I know you need your rest. It can certainly wait until you’ve recovered.” 

Dean nodded solemnly, then a slow grin spread across his face, and he looked slyly over at Cas. “You know what else I need?”

“Hmm?” Cas looked from Jack up questioningly at Dean, his expression quickly fading to recognition as Dean waggled his eyebrows. “No. Absolutely not. I think Missouri would advise against that for awhile, anyway.”

“I mean, not right away, obviously, but-”

“No.”

“Dammit, Cas-”

“I said  _ no _ .”

“But I  _ finally  _ got my body back-”

“And it’s not going anywhere. Don’t be so dramatic.”

Dean huffed and glared at him. “In case you forgot, in  _ our _ household, Alpha or not, you don’t hold the monopoly over decision-making.”

Cas raised his eyebrows. “Don’t make me use my Alpha voice.”

“I wish you  _ would _ ,” Dean grumped, huffing again and looking back down at their sleeping son, who made a soft cooing noise and shifted slightly in Dean’s arms. Dean’s face softened, and he looked back up at Cas. “No, but really...I wish you would.”

Cas laughed softly and reached up to pull Dean’s head to him, kissing him on the forehead. “Soon, Omega. Soon. Trust me, you’re not the only one who wants it.”

Dean chuckled. “I missed you, Cas.”

“I missed you too, Dean.”

\----

Someone sucking on your nipple and it not being about sex was probably one of the strangest sensations Dean had ever experienced. Which sort of made him sound a little  _ whorish _ , but come on. It wasn’t like they’d been used for anything else before. 

He was laying on his side, finally back in his own bed, Jack cradled in his arms as he, uh,  _ drank.  _ Ate. Sucked. Whatever. It was weird and Dean didn’t know what to call it. It looked so natural with Eileen, but Dean still felt a little strange about his temporary breasts, despite all Cas’s efforts to assure him of their normalcy and his puzzling yet obvious attraction to them. 

So, yeah, weird. But also kind of...awesome. It was something private for just him and his pup, an intimate moment only the two of them could share. His pup needed something only Dean could provide and it made them that much closer. Helped deepen the bond forged inside the womb. 

Plus, Dean thought smugly, Cas seemed enamored by it. And he was going to enjoy teasing the Alpha for the  _ 4 to 6 weeks  _ that Missouri had allotted him to heal. She had said it wasn’t required, necessarily, but she had  _ very strongly _ recommended they restrain themselves for the time being. If Dean hadn’t been so disappointed himself he would’ve laughed at Cas’s face when she’d told them. 

Dean sighed and shifted a little, bringing his face down to nuzzle the top of Jack’s head. The pup kneaded Dean’s chest as he suckled, eyes closed and his feet curled up almost to his stomach. So far Jack had remained quiet for the most part, hardly fussing at all, even when he was hungry. Dean hoped it was a good sign for the future. He wouldn’t mind an easy pup. 

It was amazing though, that after all that talk about him being such a big pup, Jack still seemed so small. Dean wasn't in a hurry to see him grow from the little thing he could practically fit in his two hands. From a little being completely dependent on him, who looked at him like he was his whole world. He supposed that at this point, he kind of was, and he relished in the idea that finally,  _ he _ would be the one providing needs for someone else, instead of what always felt to him like the other way around. 

Jack curled his hand into a fist and laid it over his forehead, suckling slowly now as he drifted off. Even as weird as the breastfeeding was, Cas had been right about it feeling kind of… natural, at the same time. Missouri showed him what he needed to do to get him to latch the first time, but overall the process had been easy to fall into for both of them. And Cas had looked so proud the first time, enough that it helped to squash some of the nervousness and embarrassment he'd felt. 

Dean sighed and laid his head back against the headboard, gently rubbing the top of Jack's soft head. He'd become obsessed with how soft his son's skin was, his scent, the little noises he made and his quiet little breaths. He could lay in bed and stare at him all day, and it still wouldn't be enough for him. 

Dean hummed and glanced over at his sleeping Alpha, the shadows under Cas’s eyes looking darker and the lines on his face deeper. After Missouri had released him and Cas had helped his sore body up the hill, the Alpha had quickly succumbed to exhaustion. Dean couldn’t imagine what he had been through, what he’d seen, what he’d had to do to get those Omegas out. And then to  _ run _ here...even if wolf form that must have been difficult. Cas had been asleep for hours now and Dean let him. They had the cabin to themselves for now, Rory staying with Charlie until both he and Cas caught up on their sleep. She’d seen her papa briefly earlier, practically tackling him when she found out he was back. Since then, Cas had been dead to the world and Dean slept on and off between feedings, feeling more comfortable and relaxed than he had in months despite the soreness between his legs.

Jack stopped suckling all together as he fell into a deeper sleep, curled up against Dean’s chest. Dean carefully stood up from the bed, cradling Jack in is arms, and shuffled over into the kitchen. He’d hardly eaten anything since the birth and now that things were calm, his stomach was making it well known how hungry he actually was. Maybe he could balance some bread on top of Jack’s head or something.

“Here.”

Dean almost jumped if it weren’t for the sleeping pup in his arms. One thing he’d noticed since the birth was Cas’s already over protectiveness was about ten times worse now. Last time Dean had gotten up from bed to pee, Cas had woken immediately and asked what was wrong. 

Dean opened his mouth to tell his silly mate to go back to sleep, but Cas took advantage and stuffed a piece of bread between his lips. Dean blinked and chewed slowly, swallowed, and found another piece shoved inside before he could protest. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and resigned himself to being hand fed.

“See how much easier it is when you don’t argue?” Cas smirked slightly. 

Dean glared and not so accidentally grazed a finger with his fang.

“Now, now,” Cas waved the slice of bread around. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to bite the hand that feeds you?”

“I’ll bite something else then,” Dean growled.

“Feisty,” Cas winked, sliding another piece inside, his fingers quickly retreating when Dean tried to bite down again. “I might have taken you up on that if not for the restriction on our sexual escapades.”

“Mmm.” Dean chewed thoughtfully and swallowed, holding Jack close to his chest. “You're infuriating sometimes, you know.”

“I know.” Cas ran a hand through his messy hair and leaned back against the counter, closing his eyes. He looked like he could fall asleep just standing there, the bags under his eyes more prominent than he'd ever seen them. 

“It was bad, wasn't it?” Dean asked quietly.

Cas sighed heavily and opened his eyes again, turned down in the corners, giving a glimpse of his actual age. It didn't matter, though. No matter his age, Dean was hopelessly attracted to him. 

“The worst I've seen,” he said softly. “Just being there felt hopeless. Like I'd never have this again, have you, have my family. And I just...I can't imagine living my entire life like that. And all those Omegas… they have. They don't know any different. And knowing they'll be here, terrified of me because of my rank… it's difficult to live with that.”

“Well… I'm a testament to the good you can do for a damaged Omega. I was able to trust you. You're a good one, Cas. The best one. They'll see that.”

Cas laughed bitterly and hung his head, shaking it slightly. “Don't. No, Dean, you wouldn't…” he lowered his voice, “wouldn't say that if you knew.”

“Knew what?” Dean asked as he nibbled on some cheese, balancing Jack in one arm while scavenging the kitchen with the other.

Cas watched him for a moment, gripping the countertop tightly, and licked his lips. “Dean, I...you need to know something. Something that happened while we were there.”

Dean paused and turned his head, blinking, and shifted Jack in his arms. The pup stretched and settled again, little hands clutching to Dean. 

“Okay…” he said slowly, a knot beginning to form in his gut. Cas looked distressed to say the least, whatever he was needing to say weighing heavily on him.

“It...it was all..,” Cas shook his head, running an agitated hand through his hair. “We knew we had to destroy the camp completely. That getting them out wasn’t good enough. If we had left those Alphas, they would’ve just taken new Omegas. We knew...we knew we had kill every single one of them.”

“Oh,” Dean tilted his head, still eyeing Cas carefully. “That...I mean, Cas, they were awful men. If there was anyone who deserved to die, it was them. I know it must been hard for you, but-”

“No, no, that’s not…” Cas huffed and scrubbed a hand down his face. “In order to keep the fighting to a minimum, me and a select few got inside. I had shifted...I’m stronger in that form. We worked our way through the camp, getting to the middle, and we...there was a building there.” Cas swallowed and looked down. “It was...some kind of breeding hut. They would drag the Omegas that were in heat inside, where Alphas were waiting, and…”

Dean looked away and held Jack just a little tighter, lightly rocking him back and forth. It was a small distraction, something to keep the images of his past at bay.

“I couldn’t…” Cas took a breath. “Couldn’t stand the screaming. So we broke in. There were...four, I think, inside. I don’t know. I just went for the nearest one. But the smell of heat...so many in one place, all in that room…” Cas looked pained, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “And I was so deep in the wolf...I couldn’t help it…”

“Did you-” Dean’s words caught in his throat and frowned down at the floor, clearing his throat and swallowing hard. “Another Omega, did you-?”

Cas’s grip on the counter had the whites of his knuckles shining through and his tired eyes were turned down in the corners, guilty or sad, Dean wasn’t sure which. He practically held his breath in the time it took Cas to answer, which probably wasn’t anywhere near as long as it felt.

“No. No, I didn’t. But I...I  _ advanced  _ on her. I…” his voice broke and he shook his head, “I couldn’t stop myself, Dean. I wasn’t even in my right mind enough to know that I  _ wanted  _ to stop. She’d been horribly tortured, and raped, and...even if you weren’t here for me to come home to, I would never have wanted to...to do that. If Benny hadn’t been there…”

Dean hugged Jack to his chest and tried to process whatever it was he was feeling, pressing his lips to the top of the pup’s head and keeping them there as he closed his eyes.

“Dean…”

Dean shook his head, rubbing a hand comfortingly through their son’s hair as he bounced him gently, pointedly avoiding Cas’s stare.

“Dean, please. I know I don’t deserve forgiveness right now, but I...I need to know that you- that  _ we _ \- can move past this. I can’t lose you over this. I just...I  _ can’t.” _

Cas took a hesitant step forward, stopping again and bracing himself between the counter and island. He reached out, slowly, but Dean finally took a step back and closed his eyes, still clutching Jack tightly to his chest, and Cas let his hand fall. He sucked in a breath, swallowing with an audible click.

“Dean, my Omega, my  _ mate _ -”

“I think,” Dean shook his head and looked away, putting his back to Cas. “I think I need you to leave. I can’t- I can’t think with you in here. I don’t even know...what I’m feeling right now.” 

Cas’s face fell even more, if that was possible. He took a step forward, a tear falling down his cheek. “Dean, please, I didn’t- it wasn’t-“ 

“Don’t,” Dean snapped, covering Jack’s head with his hand and stroking his soft hair. “I- Jesus, another Omega, Cas -I just can’t deal with this right now. Just leave, please, so I can fucking  _ think.”  _

Cas clenched his fists and nodded stiffly. He paused, looking at his cabinet, then shook his head and walked out the door. Dean bent his head, kissing Jack’s forehead, and finally let the tears fall as he rocked the pup back and forth. 

He crossed the floor and crawled back in bed, staring blankly out the window like he would for the remainder of the night, clutching his pup to his chest.

\----

Cas didn’t come back the next morning, either.  Not that Dean wanted to see him again yet anyway, but he’d kind of expected it. He had no idea where he ended up for the night, especially since all the empty cabins were now filled, and then some. He realized halfway through working out that thought that he didn’t care. It wasn’t cold out, and even if Cas wound up sleeping in the woods, he would’ve been fine. Dean found himself kind of hoping that he had.

It was a weird thing to work through, the idea of Cas advancing on another Omega. Dean was angry, of course, but the anger he felt really wasn’t geared toward Cas. He knew, logically, that Cas’s wolf form was largely instinctual. And he couldn’t exactly get mad about that fact, especially considering what he’d told Cas about loving him no matter how wild he got, loving all parts of him, the good and the bad. He still felt that way. He didn’t want Cas to have to suppress any parts of himself, because the man, the wolf...it’s who he  _ is _ . 

But yes, he was hurt. He felt betrayed. But most of all, some sick, twisted part of him believed he deserved it. Told himself he was stupid for ever thinking that he could have an Alpha like Cas all to himself, that he could ever be all an Alpha like Cas needed. It was an idiotic, overly optimistic outlook for his future. And he didn’t miss the irony of it, either, suddenly having everything he ever wanted and a few things he never knew he needed, just as everything fell apart.

Vaguely, he wondered if the Omega was in Eden. He wondered if Cas had seen her since he left the night before. He quickly pushed that particular thought aside. Even knowing what transpired between them, Dean knew, he  _ knew _ that Cas didn’t view her like that. That it was overwhelming adrenaline that drew him to her, that it was instinctual wolf brain, the overpowering scent of heat. That, most importantly,  _ nothing had happened. _ If anything, Dean felt he should go to her himself and make sure she was okay. Cas was kind of intimidating normally, but in his wolf form, he could be downright terrifying. With that piled onto the horrific trauma she’d suffered for God knows how long, she was sure to be having a hard time with everything.

A loud knock on the door blessedly interrupted his train of thought, and he jumped, just as Jack began to fuss due to the intrusion of his peaceful rest. Dean held him close as he got up out of the bed, his legs stiff from sitting there for so long, the soreness between his legs making him move slower than normal, hissing every once in awhile at certain movements. The knock came again, and he rolled his eyes.

“Comin’, comin’,” he grumbled, then tried to shush Jack, whispering softly to him and bouncing him slightly in his arms. He yanked open the door, ready to give whoever was on the other side an earful, between waking up his pup and his own restful night.

“What the hell-”

Benny stood with his cap between his hands on the other side of the door, looking as awkward and nervous as Dean had ever seen him. Sam stood behind him, off to the side a little, his hair messy, a few semi-new scratches on his face. It occurred to Dean that he hadn’t seen Sam since they arrived back in Eden, which he expected anyway since he had a new pup of his own to be spending time with. 

“Dean,” Benny said gruffly in greeting. “I, uh. Mind if we come in? I got a little somethin’ I been meanin’ to get up here to you. Better late than never, I guess.”

“Um. Y-yeah. Sure.” Dean stepped back and held the door open, and Benny plopped his hat back on his head and stepped back, grabbing something off to the side. He led it inside with Sam bringing up the rear, and Dean was able to admire every inch of the wooden crib as they guided it through the door. 

“Benny, that’s-”

“Where ya want it?” Benny asked, stopping in the middle of the room. 

“Um. I...uh, by the bed. Yeah.” Dean felt himself smiling as he followed them across the room and watched them put it down, and he stood close to adore it. It was made out of what looked like walnut, sanded down to a smooth finish and stained dark...probably a tea stain, with intricate threading on the corner beams. Dean stepped forward and ran a hand along the polished wood, smiling softly. “Benny, you...you made this for him?”

“Boy’s gonna need somewhere to sleep,” Benny grunted, shoving his hands in his pockets. He looked over at Dean, quirking a smile. “I made it for you.” He nodded down at Jack. “For him. Just a little idea of how much I appreciate you bein’ here. How much the pack appreciates you.”

Sam stood at Benny’s side, and he smiled too, giving Dean a nod. His eyes flitted briefly down to Jack, whose fist was tangled in Dean’s shirt as he looked up at him in wonder.

Dean smiled, bouncing Jack lightly in his arms, and cleared his throat before he got too emotional. 

“Thank you, Benny,” he murmured. “I love it. Sure Jack will love it, too, hm little guy?” 

He chuckled when he noticed Jack staring at Sam and stepped closer to the Alpha. “Yeah, that’s your uncle. He’s part giant.” 

Benny snorted and Sam rolled his eyes. 

“Feel free to pull some of his hair out, too,” Dean continued with a grin. “He’s starting to look like a girl.” 

“I am not,” Sam huffed, looking down at the little bundle, and bit his lip. “Can I, uh…?”

Dean hesitated only a moment- mostly because he didn’t ever want to let his pup go- and nodded. He carefully handed Jack over, who remained amazingly calm, his big eyes never leaving Sam. His little fists immediately reached up and pulled at Sam’s hair, and Dean laughed as Sam pouted. 

“Not cool, little man,” Sam smiled, swaying slightly, Jack cooing happily. “He’s really...chill.” 

Dean nodded and crossed his arms, already missing his pup despite him being only a few feet away. “Yeah. Hardly cries. Spends most of his time staring off into space.” 

Sam looked up at him and nodded, giving him another smile. “So glad he and Maura get to grow up together. It’s...kind of incredible, how everything worked out.” Jack frowned curiously up at him, reaching up to touch his face, and Sam chuckled and leaned into it. “He does a pretty good Cas impression, huh?”

Even despite his hurt and anger, Dean smiled a little, huffing a laugh. “Yeah. Yeah, he...makes a lot of faces that look like Cas. But Cas insists he looks more like me. Or...our family, I guess.”

“Yeah, I can see that too,” Sam said, cradling Jack gently in his long arms, making him look even smaller than he did in Dean’s. 

Dean zoned out a little, just staring at Jack in Sam’s arms, until Benny laid a hand gently on his shoulder. “Mind if we talk privately for a moment, cher? If you don’t mind Sam watching little guy for a minute or two.”

Dean closed his eyes and took a breath through his nose. He took one last look at Jack safely in his uncle’s arms before he turned to wordlessly follow Benny, back out onto the porch.

“At some point you have to stop fighting his battles for him, Benny,” Dean said tiredly once he’d shut the door behind him, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Cas ain’t said a word to me,” Benny swore, lifting his hat to scratch his forehead. “I’m comin’ to you because I can tell you ‘xactly what happened out there. ‘Cause he won’t. He won’t tell you ‘bout all that mess because, frankly, it’s nauseating and downright scary. He’d never tell you all of it, ‘cause he’s ‘fraid of remindin’ you what’s out there. And he won’t tell you ‘bout what happened, because he’s feelin’ so guilty ‘bout it that he hasn’t stopped to think ‘bout how incredible it was, the fact he stopped at all. He’d rather wallow in guilt than deny you your right to be angry ‘bout it. And you  _ do  _ have that right.” Benny sighed heavily. “But most importantly, I’m makin’ sure you know, ‘cause I can’t stand the idea of you leavin’ him. ‘Cause I can’t stand the idea of you leavin’,  _ period.  _ ‘Cause you’re family now.”

Dean’s throat thickened but he looked away to keep himself from tearing up, digging his blunt nails into his arms.

“I couldn’t come close to describin’ to you the smell of this camp, chief. It was all blood, sweat, slick, death…” he swallowed hard. “The overwhelming scent of heat, it was just suffocatin’. I don’t even get affected like that, and it was hard...hard for me to keep my head clear, in the midst of it all. We all struggled. But Cas...Cas got hit hard with it. That wolf form, it always does that to ‘im, the longer he’s in it. You’ve seen that. ‘S why I have to keep an eye on ‘im, like I did when you first got here, goin’ through your heats. He’s stronger that way, but also more vulnerable. But you gotta understand, at this point, Dean...he’d been  _ hunting _ since we walked into the camp. He was as far as gone as I’ve ever seen ‘im. He was a machine. And when we finally got to that breedin’ hut, he couldn’t take it anymore. There were...Alphas were in there with ‘em, and they were screamin’, and Cas bust in there without a second thought...it was somethin’ he wouldn’t have been so reckless about were he in his right mind. But he  _ wasn’t,  _ cher, and that’s my point here.”

“What do you want me to do here?” Dean threw his hands up, his eyes red and glassy. “Pretend it’s okay? The fact that without even thinking he was going to knot some other Omega?”

“I ain’t sayin’ it’s okay,” Benny held up his hands, watching Dean carefully. “I’m just sayin’ to take the situation into account. C’mon now, you’ve seen Alphas during a heat. And there were dozens of Omegas there in midst of it. The place was saturated with it.” He tilted his head. “And it wasn’t without thought, Dean. He was fightin’ it. I could see that plainly. If he had really wanted that Omega he would’ve torn me up to get to her. That little pipe I took to him wouldn’t have stopped him if he had wanted a fight.”

Dean frowned and blinked. “Pipe?” 

Benny quirked a brief smile. “Yeah. Smacked him real good with it on his back. Seemed to snap him out of it.” 

Dean snorted and turned away, tugged at his hair. His arms dropped and he hugged his middle, unable to shake off the feeling of utter stupidity for ever thinking he was enough for Cas. Heat or not, he’d wanted that Omega, for however brief of time. Benny had said he wasn’t in his right mind, but that was kind of the point. It shouldn’t take thought for Cas not to want someone else, right? Even if wolf form, where instincts ruled. The wolf shouldn’t want another either...unless the wolf didn’t think Dean was enough. 

“I’m not telling you to forgive ‘im right now,” Benny continued, and Dean scoffed and shook his head. “But I wanted you to understand that he was all wolf then. And I know how hard it is for an Alpha to turn down an Omega in heat, nevermind one presentin’ to ‘im, so I can’t imagine how it was for him in his wolf form-”

Dean spun back around and took a step toward Benny. “Wait. He-” he lowered his voice, realizing that Sam with his damn Alpha hearing inside could probably hear every word. Not that it mattered, since he was there anyway. “She  _ presented  _ to him?”

Benny sighed and scrubbed a hand over his mouth. “Dean, you gotta understand-”

Dean’s hands trembled, but he stood his ground, shaking his head. “Benny-”

“No, listen here. It all happened real fast. When we got in there, she was...well. Ain’t no need to go into detail about it. Cas saved her. He lost his head for a minute, and she did the only thing she could think to do for a crazed Alpha. But you know what? Hey.” Benny caught Dean’s eyes with his own. “Listen to me. You know what? You know what brought ‘im out of it?  _ You  _ did. You weren’t even there, and you were able to bring ‘im back to himself. So before you decide how you’re gonna handle it, think about that.” 

Dean was quiet for a moment, and Benny sighed again, shoving his hands in his pockets as he looked out over the woods, in the direction of Dean and Cas’s spot. Dean vaguely wondered if he knew about that, too.

“Dean, I know better ‘an anyone what that man looks like when he sets his sights on what he wants. That won’t it. Last time I saw it, was the first time you ever walked through that door.” Benny pointed to the cabin. “I knew the second you left outta there. He had that look then. And he ain’t gonna have it again.”

Dean swallowed and turned away, bracing his hands on the railing of the porch. The compound looked crowded with at least twice as many people walking around, working, filling up every cabin while they continued to build new ones. Dean wished he could help, but just being on the other side of the wall as his pup was almost enough to make his skin itch. 

He hadn’t even been outside the cabin since the refugees arrived, too busy sleeping and never letting go of his newborn pup. He hadn’t realized how many there were. There were dozens down there, looking just as lost and hapless as he had been when he first arrived. And the pups...so many children who have probably seen things no child should ever see. Cas was down there somewhere, Dean was sure, throwing himself into work since his mate wouldn’t let him come home. 

Dean immediately felt guilty for that. Cas was surely exhausted, wanting nothing more than to rest after the whole ordeal, and he had kicked him out before even listening to him.

Dean huffed and pushed off the railing, rubbing at his chest as he paced the porch. He hadn’t felt this confused about his emotions since he realized he was attracted to an Alpha. 

“You’re the most important person in the world to him, cher,” Benny said quietly. “I just...really want you to think about this. At least talk to him...he’s working himself to the bone. He needs to know his mate still cares about his well-being, otherwise he’ll just keep working until he drops.” He sighed. “I ain’t sayin’ not to be angry, Dean. Be upset. Be angry. Then let him come home.”

Dean crossed his arms over his chest and looked out into the woods now, toward their spot, as Benny watched him in silence. 

“I should...Jack’s gonna be hungry soon,” Dean mumbled. He walked over to the door and put his hand on the knob, hesitating for a moment before turning back to Benny. “Thank you, for the crib. It’s beautiful.”

Benny nodded and Dean opened the door and retreated inside before giving the man a chance to say anything else. He closed it behind him and leaned back against it, closing his eyes. He heard Jack cooing softly before almost immediately starting to fuss, and he sighed and pushed himself off the hardwood and crossed the floor, holding out his hands.

Sam passed him over without a word, and Dean cradled Jack against his chest, then moved to sit on the edge of the bed, looking out the window down at all the cabins. Sam moved over to the wall and leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest, but it was a long time before he said anything.

“He’s right, you know.”

“Sam,” Dean closed his eyes and shook his head. “Don’t.”

“Fine.” He paused, a foot bouncing up and down. “But just so you know...that place was hell. If nothing else, at least be proud Cas took it down. He...we saved a lot of lives.”

“I know,” Dean murmured, looking down as Jack fisted his shirt. “I am proud of him. And of you.”

Sam pressed his lips together and nodded, pushing off the wall. “I’ll, uh...let you…” he flapped his hand at Dean, blushing and just looking generally awkward, and it made Dean smile. 

Sam left quietly and Dean sighed, lifting up his shirt. Jack gurgled, fingers clutching at Dean’s chest, and latched on immediately.

“Greedy thing,” Dean clicked his tongue, quirking a smile down at the happy pup. Jack just blinked up at him. He glanced up at the door and found himself wishing Cas would come back home, if for nothing else than to sleep. Angry, hurt, it didn’t matter- Dean still cared about his Alpha and didn’t want him over doing it. 

However, by the time Jack was finished and sound asleep in his arms, Cas still hadn’t come back. Dean decided to was time to go hunt him down and drag his stubborn ass back home. He made sure Jack was wrapped up in his light cotton blanket, to keep the sun off his skin without getting too hot, and slipped some shoes on. 

Dean stepped out and squinted at the sun, then down at the cabins. They were building new ones on the east side and there was a good chance Cas was busying himself with some of the labor, but Dean didn’t want to bring Jack around all that noise. He supposed he could do a quick scan, though.

He adjusted the blanket over Jack to practically cover him, moving him up against his chest and holding the back of his head as he walked past the construction. There were a bunch of new faces he didn’t recognize, watching him warily as they passed. Of course, they was no way the new Omegas could know who he was, and they were probably suspicious of anyone. He couldn’t blame them after what they came from. The Omegas who had it the worst were probably in the medic cabin, which was surely why he hadn’t seen Missouri at all. Technically, he shouldn’t be out and about just yet, especially not by himself, and if she were to catch him he knew she’d have a lot to say about that. 

There was a dark-haired Omega that he didn’t recognize sitting on Bobby’s porch when he passed, probably close to his age, who watched him with curiosity. He took a deep breath as he passed, rubbing Jack’s back, and nodded to her, but she just stared back.

He walked around the side of a cabin a couple down from Bobby’s, coming up on the edge of the current construction site. Bobby and Rufus were working on sawing logs for the cabins, and he saw Sam and Kevin moving some of the pieces already cut over to where they had actually begun building a cabin, and it was easy to see that the process was work heavy and slow-going. This particular cabin was starting to look like a cabin now, and it was there that he saw Benny with his back to him, holding a large log in place as Cas- easily recognizable by the especially wild dark hair- nailed it into place. 

Dean bit his lip, taking a hesitant step forward. He honestly hated to bother Cas while he worked, knowing getting these cabins up was important and a tedious process. But upon a closer look at Cas, at his downturned eyes and tired expression, Dean knew that Benny had been right. Cas would work until he dropped and Dean just wasn’t going to let it happen. 

Dean took a breath and strode forward when there was a lull in the hammering, stopping just a few feet from the two. Benny glanced his way and offered up what looked to be a relieved smile. Cas noticed the look and turned, freezing when he saw Dean, the hammer going limp in his hand. 

“Dean-?”

“Come home,” Dean said, his voice breaking and his face reddening when he noticed a few of the new Omegas looking their way. He cleared his throat and glanced down at Jack, still asleep, and looked back up. “Please,” he added, not wanting to seem like he was ordering the Alpha around in front of all these Omegas. 

Cas stood there another beat, breathing hard and squinting against the sun as it beat down on them. His face was red from the heat and he’d sweated through his shirt, which Dean felt like he was about to do himself, and he’d only been out for a few minutes. Finally Cas passed the hammer over to Benny, looking over to him and nodding as he patted him on the back. Benny quirked a smile and turned back to his work, and everyone else seemed to resume whatever they were doing too as Cas made his way the short distance to Dean. He stopped in front of him and slowly raised one hand to rub Jack’s head, then the other to brush his thumb against Dean’s cheek, but he didn’t lean in to kiss him like he normally would. It occurred to Dean that he probably didn’t want to push him, not currently knowing where they stand.

“Need to get the two of you back inside,” Cas finally murmured, locking the tips of his fingers behind Dean’s jaw as he continued to stroke his cheek with his thumb. “You’re not supposed to be doing this much yet.”

“Wanted you to come back,” Dean said softly. “Just...please. Come back.”

Cas pressed his lips together and dropped his hands to his sides, nodding slightly. “Whatever you want.”

Dean looked away, unsure of how to take that. Did Cas not want to come back home? Maybe he’d been avoiding Dean on purpose-

He abruptly shook his head, dispelling the thoughts, refusing to overthink an already complicated situation. Dean nodded and resituated Jack to hold him with one arm against his chest. The pup woke briefly from being jostled, closing his eyes again when Dean took Cas’s hand. Cas seemed surprised at this, glancing down at their entwined fingers, then squeezed Dean’s hand as they began to walk back to the cabin.

Dean noticed the way the Omegas seemed to scatter at the sight of Cas. Their fear was plain to see, most of them moving to hide or make themselves seem smaller, only a few remaining in sight to stare at the Alpha warily.  Dean recognized himself in them and sighed softly, resolving to seek out the Omega Cas advanced on and see if she was alright. He could easily imagine how frightening that had been for her. Hell, it still scared him a little bit, and he was  _ mated _ to the wolf.

“How is the construction coming?” Dean asked softly, glancing over at Cas.

“Slow,” Cas grunted, blinking slowly. He looked ready to fall over. 

“I think they can survive without you for a few days…” Dean murmured as they started the climb up the hill. “You...you should rest.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“For me,” Dean said softly. “Will you take a few days off for me? I...I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

Cas huffed a laugh. “Says the guy who’s out and about the day after giving birth.”

“Two days, technically.”

“Barely.” Cas looked over at him and gave him an amused smile. “But yes. I will. Because you asked.”

Dean smiled and nodded. “Good. Thank you.”

Cas hummed, looking down at his feet as they scaled the hill. Dean tried to ignore the soreness between his legs, not wanting to give Cas the satisfaction of being right about him overdoing it as well. He’d see if he could get Jack to nap in the new crib when they got inside, and maybe the two of them could rest together. Although, Jack didn’t often sleep unless he was in Dean’s arms. It was Dean’s fault, really, since he’d hardly wanted to put him down, but he supposed they could both become accustomed to some time apart...even if it was only a little.

They finally reached the top of the hill and Cas opened the door for him, following him inside and closing it behind him. He paused at the door, looking almost out of place, before furrowing his brow and crossing the room.

“What’s this?”

Dean smiled as he moved to sit on the bed, watching Cas inspect the crib.

“Benny made it for us...for Jack. He brought it up this morning.”

“Did he?” Cas ran his hand over the smooth wood, the corner of his lips turning up in a half smile. “Mmm. It’s beautiful. I suppose before long I’ll have to find time to build an addition.” He sighed and looked out the window. “Not sure when that may be, though.”

“Well, we won’t need that for awhile,” Dean said easily, bouncing Jack in his arms. “Nothing to stress about now.”

Cas hummed, his gaze getting lost outside the window, and Dean bit his lip. “You should, um, wash up. Come lie down. You look tired.”

Cas raised a brow, finally turning to Dean. “Are you saying I’m stinky and old?”

Dean frowned and shook his head, Cas’s tone unclear if he was actually joking or not. “No,” he mumbled. “Just think you need to rest. You’ll feel better if you get all the sweat off.”

Cas eyed him for a moment then nodded, bending down to kiss Dean briefly on the forehead before disappearing into the bathroom. When the water started up, Dean sighed and closed his eyes, stroking Jack’s head. He stood and slowly lowered the pup into the crib, readjusting the swaddle and watching him for a long while, listening to Jack’s tiny breaths.

He quickly made a pot of tea- Cas’s favorite- and was pouring a cup when the Alpha finally emerged from the bathroom. He still looked exhausted, but at least the sweat and grime was gone, his hair wet and sticking up in every direction. Cas fell into the futon with a sigh, scrubbing at his hair, and Dean handed him the fresh cup of tea.

“Here,” he murmured, sitting next to him. “It’ll help you relax.”

Cas eyed him as he took the mug, raising an eyebrow. “Have you had time to relax?”

Dean quirked a smile. “I’m fine.”

Cas took a sip of the tea and sighed, leaning forward to sit the mug on the table, He gestured Dean forward, maneuvering him gently until Dean was laying down, his head in Cas’s lap. Cas laid his own head back against the wall, carding his fingers through Dean’s own sweaty hair. “Later, before Rory comes back, I must insist that you take a relaxing bath yourself. I can’t imagine you’ve had time for that today. Why don’t you let me take care of you?”

“Mmm,” Dean hummed, closing his eyes, squeezing Cas’s knee with one hand. “Can’t imagine you’ll be awake later.”

Cas chuckled. “The promise of you naked and wet? I’ll make sure I’m awake for that.”

Dean rubbed his cheek on Cas’s thigh and snorted. “Even if we can’t do anything?”

He felt Cas shrug. “Still not going to miss a chance to look at my beautiful Omega in all his naked glory.”

Dean blushed and hid his face in Cas’s lap, mumbling something about horny Alphas. Cas just laughed and continued to stroke his hair, slowly finishing off his tea as they sat in a relatively comfortable silence. The conversation they needed to have lay in the peripheral and neither of them was keen on bringing it up yet. 

Dean finally got up and, as Cas wanted, filled up the tub and stripped. After a moment’s thought, he left the bathroom door open in a tentative invitation and slipped inside the warm water. He sighed, looking down at his body. It looked a little strange to him now. He’d gotten so used to having a swollen belly that it felt almost wrong to have a relatively flat one again. Not that it had gone back to what it had been, of course. He had a few extra layers of fat and a noticeable pooch, and his scars had been stretched out and now looked even uglier than before. He also had what Missouri had called stretch marks along his stomach, but he didn’t mind those at all. They were beautiful proof of carrying his pup successfully, a testament to what his body can and will do to make sure his pup had a good first home.  

“You’re gorgeous.”

He started a little at the sound of Cas’s voice, and looked over to see him leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, his head resting against the frame. 

Dean snorted. “Don’t feel like it.”

Cas sighed and pushed himself off the frame, crossed over to the tub and grabbed a rag from the stack of towels. He dipped it into the water and knelt beside the tub, slowly squeezing it out and pressing it to the side of Dean’s neck, then sliding it across his shoulder. 

“I wish you could see yourself the way I do.”

Cas paused with the rag in the water before pulling it out and squeezing out the water again, this time running it across Dean’s chest. He didn’t make eye contact, which wasn’t the norm for Cas at all, instead focused on the task at hand. Dean watched him in silence, noticing all the subtle changes in his Alpha that were indicative of his age- pieces of silver hair scattered throughout the dark locks, the lines in the corners of his eyes and mouth now forming deeper grooves, more noticable up close, the darker circles under his eyes that reminded Dean how much Cas had seen in his lifetime. He could kind of understand what Cas meant, about seeing himself the way Cas saw him- because even though Cas was attractive by all the normal standards, Dean could see the little things the others might not find so endearing, and he loved him all the more for them.

“Only if you promise to see yourself as I see you,” Dean finally murmured, causing Cas to pause and blink. 

“Ah…,” Cas licked his lips nervously. “How…”

“You’re so  _ good _ , Cas,” Dean said earnestly, taking his hand in his under the water and squeezing. 

Cas scoffed and tried to pull his hand away, tried to push away from the tub. “No, Dean. Just- stop, I’m not-”

“Yes, you are,” Dean didn’t let him go, holding tightly. “I told you I loved every part of you. That you didn’t have to hide anything...you could be yourself with me. I meant it.” He closed his eyes and took a breath, letting it out slowly. “I-I don’t know why you wanted her or...I mean, I know it was the heat, but you have me and I…” he swallowed and rubbed at his stinging eyes. “I k-know I’m not good enough, but I’ll try harder-”

Cas frowned heavily and started shaking his head. “Dean, no-”

“It’s okay,” Dean shook his head. “With everything- being pregnant, I wasn’t able to fulfill needs, probably didn’t look all that good, now I have a pup to take care of and I’m too sore to do anything, a-and I burn the food and I get angry over stupid things-”

Cas promptly dropped the rag in the water and took Dean’s face between his hands, surging forward and sealing his lips over Dean’s. He kissed him desperately, urgently, locking their lips together and teasing Dean’s with the tip of his tongue, brushing his fingertips over Dean’s cheeks, his hands finally coming to rest on his jaw when he pulled away a little breathlessly. He pressed their foreheads together and shook his head again as Dean tried to catch his own breath, his eyes still stinging with unshed tears.

“Listen to me, you silly Omega. I don’t ever want to hear you say any of those things again.  _ Never  _ again.”

“Cas-”

Cas pulled back and looked him in the eyes, brushing a few stray tears away with his thumbs. “I am in  _ love _ with you, Dean. Even if any of those things you said had any truth to them, none of it would change the way I feel about you. You not only fulfill my needs, you exceed them. You look incredible, absolutely gorgeous, to me, all the time, whether you’re pregnant or not. You had our pup and you’re still  _ here,  _ and I can touch you and kiss you and tell you how much you mean to me, and that...Dean, I can’t express to you my feelings about how strong you are, how much I admire you. You’ve never been just a sexual partner to me. Ever. What we have, and the things we do together, they have so much more meaning to me than that. You are my  _ mate,  _ because by some miracle you chose to be with me, and I have never stopped being grateful for that, and I...am...in  _ love...w _ ith you.”

Dean was crying freely now and just didn’t care. They were alone as they ever could be, with no one to stare and whisper and wonder, and Dean vaguely wished they had more time with just them. 

“Then...then why did you…” he stammered between gulping breaths.

“I’m not invincible, Dean,” Cas said desperately, his hands sliding down to cup each side of Dean’s neck. He stroked the mating bite, thick scars from huge fangs. “I know that doesn’t make it right, but I can only withstand so much. That place...that place, Dean, I can’t describe it. The smell, the feel...it was  _ toxic _ . I- that room- the heat was so strong...my head was so foggy. I was all wolf...I enjoyed the taste of their blood, liked the way their bones broke between my jaws, all that slick in the air…” Cas took a shaky breath and rested his forehead on Dean’s shoulder, almost sagging with relief when he felt his Omega’s hand on his back. “You pulled me out, though. The bullet...it smells like you. That scent reminded me...reminded the wolf what we  _ really _ wanted. To come home to you. I never wanted her, Dean, not even for a second. I lost control of my damned instincts for just a moment and you pulled me back.”

Dean swallowed and pulled Cas as close as he could, burying his face into his neck and scenting his Alpha, the scent washing over him like a drug, invading every sense. He dug his fingers into Cas’s hair and finally nodded after a few tense moments.

“Okay,” he said roughly, blinking back more tears. “Okay, Cas. I...I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to see all of that. Deal with all that...awfulness. You’re home now, okay? I love you so much, you stupid Alpha.”

Cas sniffled, clinging to Dean’s shoulders. “You forgive me?”

“Of course I do,” Dean rolled his eyes, still red and glassy and holding back tears. He kissed Cas’s rough cheek and sighed shakily. “Just wanna move on from this Omega ring shit...we just had a damn pup for fuck’s sake, and we let this camp and those Alphas ruin what should’ve been a happy day.” He closed his eyes. “I just want us to focus on  _ us _ for once.”

“I am so sorry, Dean-”

“I know you are.”

Cas looked like he wanted to say something else, but Jack started fussing from the other room. Dean moved to get up, but Cas put a hand on his shoulder and held him firmly in place. 

“Finish your bath. I’ll get him.”

“But he’s probably hungry-”

“He’ll be fine until you’re done.” Cas leaned over and kissed him, then stood and wiped his wet hands on his shirt. He started out the door, pausing only when Dean started rattling off things to check for.

“You’ll need to re-swaddle him, probably. He squirms a lot when he sleeps, and it likes to come undone. Check his diaper too, just in case, since Missouri said diaper rash was really common and it happens super quickly apparently...but I guess if it’s none of those things he’s just hungry and I’ll-”

“Dean,” Cas said exasperatedly, pressing his cheek against the door frame again. “I know. I’ve done the dad thing before, remember?”

“Sorry.”

Cas gave him an amused smile and disappeared out the door, and it was another minute or so before Jack stopped crying. He could hear Cas speaking softly to him, and although he couldn’t understand what he was saying, the sound of his voice had Jack cooing occasionally. Dean suddenly realized that this was Cas’s first real bonding experience with Jack alone since his birth, since Dean had barely put the pup down in almost 48 hours, and he was  _ missing  _ it sitting in the tub by himself. He quickly wiped himself down and got out, drying himself off and wrapping the towel around his waist before emerging from the bathroom.

Cas stood with Jack by the window, holding him in his hands and looking down at him as he talked. Jack stared at him in awe, looking weirdly interested in what his papa had to say despite not being able to understand a word of it. Dean moved quietly to the dresser and shed his towel to get dressed, but he stepped on a squeaky floorboard, drawing Cas’s attention. Jack still watched the Alpha curiously as Cas turned and his eyes widened, and Dean pulled clothes quickly out of the drawer to hide himself, feeling embarrassed and ashamed about the way his body looked now. 

“Dean,” Cas said gently, tucking the pup into the crook of his arm as he slowly crossed over to him. He grabbed the clothes with his free hand, the two of them just standing there looking at each other until finally Dean let them go, awkwardly wrapping his arms around his middle. Cas tossed the clothes to the side and looked down at Dean’s body as he pulled gently on his arms, pulling them away and hooking his arm around Dean’s waist, drawing him in close. He dipped his head and nuzzled and scented Dean’s neck, their pup nestled snugly between them. His free hand slid back around and up Dean’s body, to his chest and across, coming to rest on one of his swollen breasts. It was an act of intimacy, but it wasn’t necessarily as sexual as it was Cas’s general appreciation of his body.

Cas hummed. “You are... _ absolutely...  _ the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”

Jack, squished gently between them and perfectly content with that, gurgled in agreement and pressed tiny fingers into Dean’s chest. In all likelihood the pup just wanted some milk and had excellent timing, but it still made Dean smile. He turned his face to scent at Cas’s neck, the smell just as intoxicating as it was when Dean first got a whiff and  _ still _ making his body clench with desire. 

Cas smiled, holding the pup close, and started kissing along Dean’s neck. Dean let his head loll to the side and closed his eyes, trusting his Alpha to keep him standing as he began to relax.

“I missed you,” Cas whispered into his skin, licking briefly at the mating mark. “Every day away from you was torture. The farther from home we got, the more I wanted to turn back. I thought of you every second, Omega.”

Dean hummed and took Jack out of Cas’s arms, smiling shyly as he pulled away and moved to sit on the bed. He adjusted Jack over his breast and hummed softly as he latched. Cas licked his lips and dragged his teeth over his bottom lip, shedding his shirt before he joined Dean there, sitting behind him and pulling Dean back between his legs. Dean closed his eyes as Cas’s lips found his neck again, Cas’s fingertips trailing the bare skin of his shoulders and down his sides. He kissed down to the mating mark again, alternating licks and soft nips. It was a strange sensation, having Cas practically worshipping his body sexually and romantically, while their son fed from his breast- which, while intimate- had no sexual connotations attached to it whatsoever. It all felt so natural to him, though, and he felt completely and unbelievably loved in that moment.

“I was so afraid you wouldn’t make it back,” Dean said softly.

“If there is one thing that could keep me from dying, it would be knowing that you’re here waiting for me,” Cas mumbled against his skin, wrapping his arms around his waist. He kissed back up to his neck again, sucking his earlobe between his teeth and nipping gently, pressing a kiss behind his ear, then tilting Dean’s head back more so he could seal his lips around his pulse point.

Dean shuddered and leaned back against Cas, his heart rate kicking up a notch. If his slick gland was working right now he had no doubt it’d already be slipping out. As such, Missouri said it would be a good week or so before the gland became active again. 

It didn’t stop his body from trying, though. Especially when he thought about how fierce Cas must have been, how relentless and merciless he was while he tore through that Omega ring. While the image of his powerful wolf with bloody fangs was as terrifying as it should be, it was also strangely thrilling because he knew that Cas had done it for him. 

“This is mean,” Dean grumbled, cracking open an eye. “Teasing me like this when you know I can’t...do anything.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t touch you,” Cas murmured, his scruff scratching against Dean’s skin. “All I could think about for almost two weeks was getting my hands on you again. I can wait to knot you, but this...we both need this.”

Dean couldn’t argue with that. He’d missed Cas’s touch more than anything while he was gone. He even missed the furnace-like heat the Alpha put off when he slept, even the stink of his joints on his clothes, or the slight dog smell he got after a run. 

Cas leaned back against the headboard and pulled Dean back with him, going back to gently rubbing his sides and nuzzling and scenting his neck. Jack suckled slowly as he began to doze off, and admittedly, Dean was feeling pretty tired himself now. He began to doze off as well, only stirring slightly after awhile when Cas carefully moved him to his side on the mattress, laying Jack down in front of him, and settling in behind him on his side as well. Cas wrapped his arm securely around him again, and Dean drifted.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! We saw all your amazing comments and just want to collectively thank you all for them here! I've been busy the last couple of days and let the comments get away from me, but I wanted you to know as I posted this that they are all so appreciated, and I'll be going back through and responding to a few here and there :)  
> We hope you continue to enjoy!
> 
> Short chapter today, but some smutty goodness coming your way next chapter!

“He’s chewing on my finger.”

Dean smiled, watching Rory from the bed, having barely moved since he’d woken up. “That means he likes you.”

Rory giggled from her spot at the foot of the bed, Jack curled up in her lap and cooing up at her curiously. He’d met a lot of new people in the last two days, but he always seemed to recognize family and reacted to them a little differently. 

“He’s so small,” Rory said in awe when Jack finally released her finger in favor of her thumb. “Was I this small?”

“Mm, we all were,” Dean chuckled, glancing over when he felt Cas shift beside him, still asleep. Charlie had dropped Rory off earlier and the girl had immediately asked to hold Jack, anxious to finally meet her baby brother.

“I don’t get how he came out, though,” Rory scrunched up her face and eyed Dean curiously. 

Dean coughed and blushed then shook his head. “Ah, maybe when you’re older, I’ll explain how that all works, baby.”

Rory huffed, but didn’t argue and turned her attention back to Jack. 

“Did it hurt?” she asked. 

“A little,” Dean licked his lips. That was a gross understatement, but he wasn’t going to go into all the gory detail. 

“And…” Rory hesitated, peeking up through her eyelashes. “You’re...okay?”

Dean’s face softened and he nodded. “Yeah, baby. I’m fine. Not going anywhere.”

“Max said you bleed a lot when you have a baby,” Rory said, looking back down at Jack. “Is that true?”

“How exactly would Max know that?” Dean asked. Of course, he was kind of right, but he highly doubted Max had ever witnessed a birth, and it was almost as unlikely that Tasha had told him any details about them, either.

“Well, he came out before Alicia,” Rory said matter-of-factly, “so he saw her come out.”

“They’re twins, Rory. Max came out minutes, if not seconds, before Alicia,” Dean said slowly. “Max was a baby. He doesn’t have memories of being born.”

Rory didn’t say anything for awhile, just looking down at Jack as he looked up at her. He squeezed and pulled on her finger as he fidgeted in her arms, but she kept a tight grip on him.

“If mamas  _ don’t _ bleed a lot when they have their babies, then how did my mama die?” Rory asked casually, as if the question didn’t punch Dean right in his gut. He looked over at Cas, who was thankfully still sound asleep. 

Dean sighed. “You should really talk to your papa about this, Rory-”

“I tried. He doesn’t want to talk to me about it.” Rory shrugged.

Dean clicked his tongue and let out a heavy breath through his nose, his shoulders sagging with it. “Things just happen sometimes, Rory. And sometimes there’s nothing you can do to keep them from happening, or to change them. It’s just...part of life.”

“Mama seemed really nice. She writes nice things in her journal all the time about papa, and sometimes she writes nice things to me.” She paused. “Do you think she’d still love me if she knew I killed her?”

“Hey, listen to me.” Dean dipped his head to her level and caught her eye, shaking his head. “You didn’t kill her. Don’t ever think that. It was something that just happened, and there’s nothing anyone could have done.”

“And even if you had,” Cas’s voice had Dean’s shoulder’s immediately rigid, and he turned back to see Cas sitting up and wiping the sleep from his eyes, “your mother could never not love you. She would’ve given her life willingly for you, Rory. Don’t you ever forget that.”

Rory frowned thoughtfully, running a finger over Jack’s cheek. “How come you never talk about her to me then?”

Cas sighed and his hands dropped to his lap. “It’s very hard for me, baby. I loved your mother very much. And I lost her so suddenly...I suppose I haven’t really ever dealt with it.” 

“Well, you need to,” Rory huffed, stating it as simply as any child would. “I want to hear stories.” 

Cas turned to Dean for help and the Omega took pity, squeezing Cas’s legs before speaking. “He’s working on it, Rory,” he said softly. “It’s a lot easier said than done.” 

Rory sighed, unable to understand that kind of grief, which Dean was thankful for. He hoped she wouldn’t have to experience it for a very long time. Turning away from the two pups for a moment, Dean looked at Cas and stroked a thumb over his jawline. 

“You still look tired,” he mumbled. 

“I’m afraid I may never catch up,” Cas snorted, catching Dean’s hand and kissing the knuckles. 

“You will,” Dean nodded. “I’ll make you.” 

Cas smiled and raised a brow. “You’ll make me, Omega?” 

“Yes.”

Cas chuckled and pressed his forehead to Dean’s shoulder, his voice a whisper. “You know I love when you tell me what to do. It’s as if you  _ intend  _ to create sexual tension. Perhaps choose your words a little more carefully.”

Dean leaned away and grinned. “No.”

Cas sighed and pushed himself up out of bed, pressing a kiss to Dean’s forehead as he did. “I’ll have to run by Missouri’s, see if she has anything to curb your incessant teasing, lest it drive me absolutely insane.”

Dean snorted. Cas walked over to the dresser and pulled on a worn t-shirt and a new pair of socks, then sat on the edge of the bed as he pulled on a pair of shoes.

“But really, where are you goin’?”

“Just down to Benny’s, to see if he has anything for me today. Get any updates on the new Omegas and pups, see if there’s anything I can be doing to make the transition easier. They aren’t really keen on speaking with me directly yet.” He huffed as he pulled on his second shoe and let his foot drop to the hardwood. “I was going to go by Sam and Eileen’s after to see the baby, if you want to join me. I’ll take Rory with me, give you time to feed him.”

Dean frowned slightly and shifted slowly, wincing when the movement pulled on the tender area between his legs. 

“Thought I said to rest for a few  _ days _ , not a few hours,” he huffed, situating the sheet around his waist. 

“I’m not working,” Cas said easily, standing up and rolling his shoulders. Dean heard a few bones pop and wondered how sore the Alpha still was. “But I still have to keep things running...getting these Omegas situated is a long process. I need to be involved.” 

“I know,” Dean sighed, watching Cas with a disappointed look. “But we just...I mean, you just got back. Feel like I’ve hardly seen you.” 

Cas ran a hand through his hair, making it even messier. “I can’t just ignore it, Dean. There’s too much to do still. Once things have settled, I won’t be out so much.” 

Dean pressed his lips together, having no response to that. Pack life never  _ settled _ . There would always be something going on, something that needed Cas’s attention, something to pull him away. 

“Mama.” 

Dean blinked out of his thoughts to see Rory holding Jack out to him. Dean nodded silently and carefully took the squirming pup, his little legs kicking and his arms waving excitedly. 

“Did you miss me?” Dean chuckled, holding Jack to his chest. The pup gurgled, clutching to his mama’s chest, feet still kicking restlessly. It was no wonder Dean constantly felt the kid moving inside. Jack never seemed to want to keep still. 

“Rory, shoes,” Cas commanded, and she skipped into her room, no doubt in search of her favorite purple rubber boots.

“Tell you what,” Cas said when he turned back to Dean. He knelt back down on the bed and stretched across to kiss Dean, raising one hand to cup the back of his head and tug teasingly at his hair. “How about…”  _ kiss “... _ when things get a little more settled…”  _ kiss _ “...I take two whole weeks off…” _ kiss _ “...just to be here with you and the kids?” He sealed his lips over Dean’s again before Dean had the chance to answer, teasing with his tongue and nipping at his bottom lip.

Dean moaned into the kiss and had to take a minute to collect his thoughts when Cas pulled back, trying to ignore his vaguely throbbing cock. _ God _ , he felt so touch-starved, and he had no idea how much longer he’d logically need to wait before he could be knotted again.

“Um,” Dean licked his lips and swallowed. “Y-yes. Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Yeah?” Cas leaned in to kiss him again, smiling devilishly against his lips as he slid his hand under the covers, over Dean’s thigh, and down his cock. He squeezed lightly and slid his hand up and down his half-hard shaft again, then squeezed at the head, swiping his thumb over the slit to gather the small bead of precum as he pulled away. Dean’s breath hitched in his throat and he swallowed hard again, his eyes bouncing quickly over to Rory’s door and back. Cas very pointedly stuck the thumb in his mouth to clean the arousal off, chuckling darkly.

“Mmm. Alright. I’ll meet you down there.” Cas stood and adjusted the collar of his shirt as he cleared his throat.

Dean gaped. “W- really, Cas?”

Cas turned back to him and raised his eyebrows innocently. “Hmm?”

Dean frowned and tongued the inside of his cheek. “I want...at least four of those days, just the two of us.”

“Seems awfully greedy of you-”

“ _ At least four _ .” He leaned in close, lowering his voice, gesturing Cas closer. Cas swallowed but complied, and Dean grabbed him around the collar and pulled him in close, lips practically touching as he talked. “At least four whole days of you senselessly and wildly knotting me, on every surface in this cabin. Four days of you breeding me and pumping me full.”

Cas licked his lips and let out a breathy laugh, nipping playfully at Dean’s lip, holding the back of his head to lick into his mouth. 

“ _ Ugh _ , papa!”

Cas pulled back with a smile, gave Dean one final kiss on the forehead, and stood again. He took Rory by the hand, who nudged him irritably as they made their way to the door. 

“You’ve got yourself a deal,” Cas said as he pointed back at Dean, then opened the door, winked, and closed it behind them.

Dean chuckled to himself. Of course, it would be impossible for them to be truly alone until he was done breastfeeding Jack, but the pup was typically either eating or sleeping, anyway. Dean could have all his current sexual fantasies fulfilled, and feed his son in between. Knotting was also good for breastfeeding, he’d learned from Missouri, similar to how it was good for pregnancy...something about the hormones or something. Missouri was also right about the birth canal, which while it was still incredibly sore, was healing up nicely. Another week and Dean hypothesized it would probably be all but gone completely. 

A little while later, Jack was fed and Dean was dressed to go out. He swaddled the pup up, who was cooing excitedly, looking around curiously as Dean stepped outside. The sky was overcast now, the air still warm but the heat of the sun blocked by the gray clouds building overhead. The scent of rain was in the air and Dean was grateful. Maybe that would cool things down a bit. 

Since the sun wasn’t out, Dean left Jack’s face and head uncovered so the pup could look around. The little guy was fearless as Dean started down the hill, taking in every sight and sound, arms outstretched as if he was trying to touch the air itself. Dean walked slowly so as not to pull at anything in between his legs, everything still feeling fairly tender. 

He came to a stop at the base, however, when he noticed a pretty, dark-haired Omega fidgeting a few feet away. She was looking at him with an expression Dean couldn’t read, but was clearly waiting for him. He recognized her as the one he’d seen earlier on Bobby’s porch, who had stared at him much like she was now. 

Dean hesitated then took a few steps toward her, holding his pup close. He didn’t really believe she meant him or Jack harm, but she was a stranger nonetheless, and one with an unknown motive. 

“You, um, waiting on me?” he asked her, feeling that old fear of talking to someone  _ new _ creeping up on him again. 

“Ah, maybe,” she bit her lip, glancing down at the pup in his arms. “Are...are you Dean?”

Dean nodded slowly and glanced around. “Yeah. Do I, uh...know you?” 

She shook her head and looked down. “No...no. I just...I’m sorry, I know this is weird. I guess I just needed to see it for myself.” 

Dean frowned. “See what?”

“His mate,” she gestured towards him. “He’d said he was mated, but I guess...I just couldn’t imagine an Omega mating a...uh, wolf.” 

“Well, he’s only a wolf sometimes,” Dean quirked a smile, but it quickly faded as realization began to dawn on him. “Wait. Are you-”

“I’m Hannah,” she said, folding her arms around her middle. She frowned and tilted her head, looking down at Jack. “You’ve...recently birthed this one.” 

“Yeah…” Dean looked down at Jack and back up at her curiously. Of course it would be strange to her, an Omega who’d practically lived her whole life in Alpha captivity, to see the Alpha’s Omega out by themselves with their newborn pup. Omegas just didn’t have that kind of free reign out in the world. 

“Have you had many pups for your Alpha?”

Dean frowned and shook his head slowly. “No, this...he’s my first one.”

She raised her head slightly as if she understood. “But he’ll want more.”

“We both do,” Dean said definitively, not entirely sure what to think of the conversation. “Cas, he’s...not my boss or anything-”

“He’s a strange Alpha,” Hannah agreed with a nod. 

Dean smiled again. “Can’t argue with that.”

She smiled briefly, a quick, fleeting thing, and squinted up at the little bit of sunlight peeking through the clouds, tightening her arms around her small waist like it was cold out, despite the relative warmth.

“You’re the one...the one he…”

Hannah tilted her head at him as she waited for him to continue, but Dean stopped, figuring she’d understand what he was getting at. “The one he what?”

Dean swallowed hard, forcing the words out. “The one he tried to...mount? At the camp?”

“Oh,” Hannah nodded once, then almost shrugged. “He didn’t.”

“But he...tried to.”

“He stopped.”

Dean sighed heavily, looking down at Jack, who looked up at him with wide eyes. “I’m sorry he did that to you, Hannah. I know it must have been terrifying for you-”

“Why are you sorry?” 

Dean’s head snapped up, and she was looking at him curiously again. “Alphas aren’t supposed to hurt or scare Omegas. That’s not what Cas is about, it’s why he went there for all of you-”

“He didn’t hurt me. He’s...he seems to be a better Alpha than the others.” 

Dean grazed his bottom lip and nodded slowly. “He, uh, he is. He’s the best.” He smiled softly and shrugged. “But I might be a little biased.”

Hannah glanced around in an almost nervous gesture, rubbing at one of her arms, hunched over as if she wanted to look as small as possible. It must be so strange for her, to have all this freedom. To go from being locked up in a tiny hut, only dragged out when she was in heat or an Alpha was in rut...living a life of constant fear and rape. Dean was surprised she was here at all, instead of hiding in whatever cabin she was given like Dean did when he first came here. Then again, she’d spent so long locked up, maybe hiding away was the last thing she wanted to do.  

“I’m sorry,” Dean said quietly, taking a small step towards her. He wasn’t an Alpha, but he was a stranger and a male, and he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable by getting too close. 

“What are you sorry for now?” Hannah blinked at him.

“Everything you went through,” Dean licked his lips and glanced down at Jack, bouncing him gently. “For being treated like you were less than a person. For Cas...advancing on you. I’m just sorry. No one should go through any of that.”

“Does he scare you?”

Dean blinked in confusion. “Uh, who-?”

“The Alpha,” Hannah tugged at her shirt and hugged her middle again. “You’re sorry he tried to mount me. Does he scare you too, then?”

“Um…” Dean shifted Jack in his arms, eyes bouncing around as he thought of how to answer. He finally shook his head and cleared his throat. “Not...not like you think probably.”

Hannah frowned, but waited for Dean to continue.

“It’s not like how those other Alphas scared you,” Dean murmured. “You were afraid because you knew they were going to hurt you, use you...kill you if you disobey. I know Cas isn’t going to hurt me, but sometimes he scares me because he’s…” Dean huffed, unsure of how to describe it. He was awful with words. “Like...a thunderstorm. Beautiful, powerful, wild...uncontrollable. You know it  _ can _ hurt you, but it’s somehow comforting to know that it’s so much stronger than you.”

Dean looked up at his and Cas’s cabin, the direction of the their spot in the forest, and smiled. “I love him, wolf and all. I’m only sorry for what he did- or, almost did- because I know how scary it can be to have that wolf even looking at you, much less advancing on you.”

Hannah nodded solemnly. “There was… almost a gentleness there, though. I could sense it. I knew he didn't want… didn't want me. Not like the others. Never seen one turn down an Omega in heat, though.” She tugged at her shirt. “You must be very special to him.”

Dean smiled a little smugly. “Well, I like to think so.”

Hannah stared at him for a moment before finally smiling. “He missed you, while he was gone. He told me so.”

Dean huffed a laugh. “I missed him, too.”

Hannah tilted her head at him again. “It’s all so strange. Your relationship with him seems...very different than anything I could’ve ever imagined possible.”

“You and me both,” Dean said, smiling down at Jack when he fisted a small hand into his shirt. 

“Did Alpha find you, the way he found me?”

Dean tensed slightly at her use of the word ‘Alpha’, though he couldn’t really be sure why. Others in the camp used it similarly, not indicative of any kind of intimate relationship with him, but given the circumstances, it felt wrong to hear Hannah say it. He had to remind himself that it’s the only way Hannah had ever known to use it, that all Alphas were simply ‘Alpha’, in the sense that she was a sort of property of theirs. She hadn’t been in Eden, been around Cas, long enough to know that would never be the case for her again.

“No...uh,” Dean cleared his throat, “actually, I found him. I was on my own, before...before I found my way here. I didn’t plan on having an Alpha, much less... _ the  _ Alpha. But things happen, circumstances, feelings...they change. He won me over.”

“He claimed you for himself.” It wasn’t a question.

“Um. N-no, not exactly,” Dean said slowly, trying to think of a way to explain it so it didn’t sound like Hannah obviously believed it to be. “Hannah, we…” he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “I came here to heal from my past. And Cas, he...he helped me with that. But Cas never looked at me as his property, or claimed to own me. We just...fell in love.”

Hannah furrowed her brows and tilted her head. “You...you mean you loved him after he clai- chose you.”

Dean shook his head and wondered if this poor girl would ever really understand. “No. No, he didn’t...we fell in love and, when I was comfortable with it, he...we...well, we waited until I was ready.”

“He  _ waited _ .”

Dean sighed and nodded. “Yes, Hannah. He was very...patient.”

Hannah bit her lip, shaking her head, looking lost as she hugged herself. “I guess I’m having a hard time believing any of this is real. I keep expecting…”

“...it to turn into a nightmare?” Dean finished quietly. She nodded and Dean smiled. 

“I get that,” he continued. “I was the same. It takes adjusting, but you’ll find your rhythm here.”

Hannah hummed, not really looking like she believed him, but Dean didn’t push. He was in her position not all that long ago. He understood that lost, confused feeling. That feeling that he didn’t belong, or that he somehow didn’t deserve this little paradise.

“I’m supposed to go see...Missouri,” Hannah said abruptly, turning back to him. “Or...Charlie. In the medic cabin.”

“I’ll take you.”

Dean walked ahead of her, bouncing and swaying Jack, who cooed and gurgled happily. When they reached the cabin, Dean nodded at the door. “Right in there. They’ll take care of you.”

Hannah stepped towards the door and nodded. “Thank you, Dean. I...would like to talk to you again.”

“...Alright,” Dean said a bit hesitantly. “Sure, whenever you want.”

Hannah nodded and pressed her lips together, then disappeared inside, shutting the door behind her. Dean sighed and turned, bouncing Jack slightly as he looked around. There were a few people he didn’t recognize sitting on porches or walking around, their pups close by their sides. He imagined most of the Omegas from the compound were hidden away in their temporary cabins, and he felt guilty for having the large cabin on the hill while so many others were cramped inside small cabins with strangers. He knew Cas would be readily willing to open their cabin up to some of the Omegas if they didn’t have a newborn pup, but as it was he surely wouldn’t risk it. 

Dean headed back toward Eileen’s cabin, passing his old cabin on the way, a wave of nostalgia overtaking him. Not that he remembered much about his own space other than what felt like relentless heats, but he could still vividly remember hearing the wolf pacing his cabin and chuffing outside his door. There were a couple of timid-looking Omegas sitting on his porch now, one picking up her pup as Dean walked past and holding them in her lap, arms wrapped tightly around. Dean gave them a small smile as he continued past to Eileen’s cabin, stepping up onto the porch and knocking softly on the door.

It swung open almost immediately, Sam standing on the other side looking slightly disheveled and tired but smiling from ear to ear. Jack cooed and shook a fist excitedly, and Sam made an overly excited puppy dog face down at him.

“Hey there, little guy,” he gushed, holding out his hands. Dean chuckled and handed him over, and Sam laid him gently against his chest, holding his head up by his neck. “Hey, Dean. Come on in.”

Sam shut the door behind him and Dean waved at Eileen, who was sitting on the bed with a sleeping Maura. She looked exhausted, too, and he wondered how much sleep they’d been getting with the newborn. He thought it best to probably not mention how utterly angelic Jack was most of the time, or the fact that he’d slept a full six hours the night before.

“Cas said he was on the way-”

“Yeah, yeah, he told me yesterday he was gonna come by today,” Sam said, sitting on the end of the bed and rubbing Jack’s back.

Dean crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall, nodding to Eileen. “Look like you could use a break.”

“I feel like it,” Eileen laughed quietly, looking down at her pup fondly. “She’s worth every sleepless hour, though.”

“Dean, I wanted to thank you,” Sam said, suddenly serious. “You were here for Eileen when I couldn’t be. She said you were a big help, and a massive comfort. Just...thank you for that.”

Dean shifted uncomfortably, finally shrugging. “Don’t mention it. It’s what family does.”

Sam smiled, opening his mouth to say something when there was another faint knock at the door. He moved to get up but Dean waved dismissively, opening it himself.

“Fancy meeting you here.”

Dean blushed and huffed, stepping back to let Cas inside. He pulled Dean in for a quick kiss, then shut the door behind him. Dean looked around and cocked a brow. 

“Rory-?”

“With Benny, excitedly showing him all the crocheting she’s been doing with Charlie. He’s gonna bring her back by in a few.”

Dean nodded, and Cas turned his attention to Eileen. Eileen looked down at Maura again before immediately offering her up to Cas, placing her in his waiting hands. He held her out from his body, her feet touching his stomach, an arm under her back and hand supporting her head. He smiled down at her, his eyes crinkling in the corners.

“Dean told me as much, but...she’s indeed beautiful.” 

Eileen looked at Sam and smiled, then back up at Cas. She looked unbelievably proud. It was strange seeing Eileen, who was mated to the second-in-command Alpha of the compound, be so keen on Cas seeing and “accepting” her pup. But Dean was quickly reminded that even though Sam was her mate, her Alpha...Cas was her Alpha first. She was seeking out his approval of her offspring, even knowing Cas would never disapprove of a pup in the first place.

“She looks just like Eileen,” Dean said softly, stepping closer to looking down at the little pup. He hadn’t seen too much of her since she was born, but already she looked bigger and fuller. A healthy, plump pup. 

Jack had gone utterly still and quiet in Sam’s arms, staring at Maura with comically wide eyes. Sam grinned and scooted closer, and Jack stretched an arm out and gurgled as his small fingers clutched at Maura’s blanket. 

“Do we see the other baby?” Dean chuckled, slipping into his ‘baby voice’ as Cas called it. “That’s your cousin. Pretty, huh?” 

Jack squealed excitedly, tugging at the edge of the blanket and finally gaining Maura’s attention. She’d been staring up at Cas with rapt attention, and turned her big eyes to Jack. 

“How are you feeling, Eileen?” Cas asked as the two pups stared and cooed at each other. 

She offered up a tired smile and shrugged. “Sore still, but that’s expected. I’m doing much better than before, though.” Eileen nodded to Maura, who now had her hand on Jack’s blanket. “She’s a handful, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I have a good feeling about her.”

Cas nodded seriously, looking back down at the pup and smiling. “As do I. She’ll do good things. Just like her parents.” He brushed his thumb across her cheek, drawing her attention back up to him, then he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. She reached up and grabbed at his face and he smiled as he pulled back and placed her back in Eileen’s arms. “She’s exceptional.”

Dean watched Sam and Eileen’s faces relax marginally, and the whole exchange kind of fascinated him. Even though Sam was essentially on the same level as Cas, he still yearned for his approval as much as any of the Omegas at the camp. The knowledge of that made Dean inexplicably proud of his Alpha. It was kind of...strange, the way Dean got the feeling that Sam almost looked to Cas as a sort of father figure, when Dean was only five years older and mated to him. Although somewhat vast, it was easy for Dean to forget about the age difference between them, since Cas’s body was that of a man in his forties. There were only moments in time, little things he saw every once in awhile, that helped remind him how old Cas really was. It occurred to Dean that he never really had a father anyway, and that he never really needed one, but Sam...Sam had and lost a father, and- regardless of how shitty of a person John Winchester was- had probably spent the last several years yearning for another Alpha male to look up to, to model himself after. 

Jack made a frustrated noise, on the brink of making a fuss, so Dean stepped forward and took him back from Sam, cuddling him close to his chest. 

“Do you need anything from me?” Cas asked gently, tucking his hands in his pockets and looking back and forth between Sam and Eileen. They looked at each other and Eileen nodded to Sam, and Sam looked up at Cas.

“Actually, we were hoping...when you do the official announcement to the camp for Jack, would you be the one to introduce Maura as well? I’m still new here, and I don’t yet have the respect that you do. We would be honored to have you be the one to induct her officially into the pack.”

Cas smiled and bowed his head slightly. “The honor is all mine.”

Dean licked his lips and glanced down at his pup, who looked back at him with complete adoration, as if he was looking at his whole world. Which Dean supposed he kind of was, but it still left him feeling...loved,  _ needed.  _

He sighed and rocked Jack back and forth. He’d hoped they could just skip the official announcement thing since he really hated getting up in front of people, but Cas was too proud of an Alpha to ignore the tradition. He wanted the whole pack to see his son. It was an Alpha pride thing that Dean was just going to have to accept.  

Dean lost himself in his thoughts while the other three conversed, discussing the new Omegas and the expansion. He nuzzled and nipped at Jack’s little hands, and only startled slightly when there was a soft knock at the door. The other three didn’t seem to hear it so Dean pulled the door open without much thought, his eyes still on Jack, and didn’t immediately notice the blonde standing on the other side. 

When he did look up and see her, though, a surprised warning snarl ripped through his throat, and both Alphas in the room jumped into action, Sam immediately taking Jack gently into his arms and Cas forcing an arm in front of Dean and pushing him back into the cabin. Dean resisted, mindlessly attempting to move forward as he growled lowly. Mary held up her hands defensively and took a step back, her expression infuriatingly calm. Dean continued to try to get to her, pushing against Cas’s arm until Cas finally gave a growl of his own, spun around and grabbed both of Dean’s arms, pinning him against the wall of the cabin. He pressed his weight against him, staring at him, his eyes lit up a brilliant blue. 

“I need you to calm down,” he whispered sternly, catching Dean’s chin with his hand when he tried to look away and pinning him with his gaze again. “Hey, listen to me. Need you to come back. You’re fine.” He nodded slowly, stroking Dean’s chin with his thumb. 

“I’m sorry, I...I can just come back later,” Dean heard Mary say, but Cas- whose gaze never left him- shook his head.

“No. If anyone needs to leave, we will.”

Dean breathed hard, his eyes slightly wild, Cas’s gaze holding him firm. Mary’s presence tugged at his attention, but the instinct to obey Alpha’s silent command was stronger. Dean leaned into Cas’s touch, his stance gradually relaxing and his growl dying out. 

“Do we need to leave?” Cas asked gently, his thumb playing over Dean’s bottom lip.

Dean let out a slow breath, allowing Cas’s warmth to engulf him, calm him. He shook his head.

“You’re sure?”

Dean nodded.

Cas nodded back, slowly, scraping his teeth over his own bottom lip. “Just say the word. Okay?”

He blinked slowly and swallowed, feeling his face flush and his fingers twitch as he nodded again. He felt  _ strange _ , like he wanted to claw off his own skin or go running for hours just so he could burn off whatever he was feeling. 

“S-sorry,” Dean stammered, unsure of who he was apologizing to, but feeling it needed to be said. “I don’t...I’m not sure where that came from.” 

Cas loosened his hold slightly, pulling away to give Dean a little breathing room. He slid his hand up to cup his face, stroking with his thumb. “Do you  _ want _ to leave?”

Dean paused, looking at Cas for a long time, drinking in his Alpha’s calm and trying to decide what it was he  _ did  _ want. He wanted to get far away, to never have to face Mary, to never have to talk to her or find out why she let herself be persuaded to abandon him. But he was also morbidly curious, knowing that he’d never be able to close that door without knowing all the facts. He’d never really be  _ ready _ to have the conversation, but he knew he needed to.

“No.”

Cas pressed his lips together. “You’re sure?”

Dean swallowed and nodded.

Cas mouth quirked slightly. “That’s my good boy.” He ran a hand through Dean’s hair and pulled away from him altogether, still watching him intently as he pushed himself away from the wall, ready to restrain him again if necessary.

Dean’s head snapped to the side when he heard his pup fussing, clearly upset at having been taken away from his mama so abruptly. Sam quickly handed him back over, not wanting to incur his mother’s wrath anymore that what had already occurred. 

Dean gathered Jack into his arms and held him close, his cries immediately ceasing as he clutched to his mama’s chest. Dean settled into a chair in the corner, for the moment his attention on the pup, and everyone in the room breathed a collective sigh of relief. 

“So,” Eileen cleared her throat. “Mary, what brings you by?” 

Mary tore her eyes from her oldest son and she took a seat on the other side of the cabin, folding her hands in her lap. “Benny told me Cas would be here, so I just thought I’d stop by to update him and Sam on the progress on the medical end with the Omegas.” 

Cas raised a brow, still keeping his eye on Dean. “Oh?”

Mary nodded, looking down at her hands. “Yes, I’ve been helping where I can. Missouri and Charlie are running things, but a few of us with some know-how have been volunteering our time. There were so many that needed...attention, Missouri and Charlie got a bit overwhelmed.” 

Cas nodded solemnly, his attention fully turned back to Dean now, chewing on his bottom lip. He was standing in a stance that suggested he was relaxed, but Dean knew that one move of a muscle would have Cas on him so fast that it would make his head spin. Not that he was going anywhere, anyway. He’d mostly calmed from his initial gut reaction, Cas’s gaze on him only helping to further ground him. He glared up at his mate, he lips firmly pressed together, jaw set.

“I’m  _ fine, _ ” he hissed quietly, when Sam elected to respond to Mary given Cas’s silence. Dean felt like he was distracting him from his job, and he didn’t like it. Jack pulled desperately at his shirt, and Dean vaguely realized that he probably wanted to feed again as Cas's eyes fell to their son. 

“Might help calm you,” Cas said nonchalantly, as if he could read Jack's mind. 

Not that it was a big deal, especially since Eileen was now feeding Maura, but Dean felt… almost  _ spiteful _ about the idea of being in such a vulnerable state in front of Mary, despite the breastfeeding normally making him feel kind of like a superhero. He gritted his teeth at Cas and looked down at Jack, clutching him to his chest and raising a finger to his lips instead, hoping it would satisfy him briefly. 

“There are several dozen that are knowingly pregnant,” Mary went on with a deep sigh, rubbing at her temple. “Several more who may or may not be. Their heats ended only a few days ago, so it’s too soon to tell.”

“And the others?” Eileen asked, stroking Maura’s head. 

Mary shrugged helplessly. “Hard to say. Some are in decent shape, but most are pretty severely malnourished. Sick in some way or another. Some even have untreated broken bones from when one of the Alphas lost his temper. Snapped wrists, cracked ribs...that sort of thing.” 

“Were any of them mated?” Sam suddenly asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Not that we can tell,” Mary ran a hand through her hair. “Alphas weren’t interested in mating. They only wanted to breed. Lot of these Omegas had several Alphas mounting them during heats.”

Dean shuddered and held back a gag, clutching Jack tightly. What he’d gone through as a child was nothing compared to the hell these Omegas were put through. He was shocked he hadn’t ended up at this place, but maybe Michael just hadn’t been a part of it back then. Or had decided Dean wouldn’t live long enough to be worth the effort.

“Survival rates?” Cas asked softly, watching Dean trying to appease their pup was growing increasingly frustrated about being denied his milk.

“Everyone we brought here is still with us,” Mary murmured, glancing quickly at Dean then forcing herself to focus on Sam. “Though there are several that we’re keeping a close eye on. Some of the pregnant ones...I don’t know if they’ll survive the birth. Missouri is concerned about the unborn pups as well. Some of them are so sick it’s likely they will miscarry…”

Dean sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, his gut clenching. Jack paused in his incessant tugging, blinking up at his mama as if sensing his mood. Dean took a steadying breath and, ignoring the others in the room, finally lifted his shirt just enough allow his pup to latch. He was very much aware of his scars, now visible, stretching up his sides and stomach.

Cas was right, as usual, damn him, because after a moment of Jack suckling, his eyes drifting closed peacefully, Dean felt himself begin to relax as well. The conversation continued around him and he closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

“Is there enough space in the medic cabin?” he heard Cas ask, and he didn't hear anyone answer, but Cas let out a long breath. “Then we'll need the next cabin to serve as medical, at least for the time being. Put the ones in there that are least critical, and Charlie can watch them-"

“One of the Omegas from the camp has medical training,” came Mary's voice. “Girl named Dorothy. She learned from a doctor at her old camp, before it was broken up and they were taken. She might be willing to help.”

“I can speak with her,” Sam piped up, but Mary made a disapproving noise. 

“I think it best that the two of you take a step back from dealing directly with the Omegas,” she said gently. “No disrespect, of course, but they're struggling. It's an adjustment, having… benevolent Alphas to answer to. Give them time.”

Dean hated to agree, but he found himself humming and nodding slightly, and there was an uncomfortable silence in the room, followed by a soft intake of breath. He opened his eyes and found Mary unashamedly looking his direction, directly down at his scarred torso. 

“Dean,” she said in her exhale, halfway covering her mouth, her eyes wide. “I'm...I…”

Dean tensed noticeably and he had to stop himself from yanking his shirt down. However much he hated the scars and the looks he got for them, he wasn’t going to deny his pup a meal just to hide his shame. 

“Dean,” Mary choked, her eyes shining. “How did...oh god,  _ when _ -”

“Don’t,” Dean snarled, the sound so feral it startled Jack into a small fit. He fussed, face scrunched up and arms flailing. Dean cursed and stood, tugging his shirt down, and jabbed a finger in Mary’s direction.

“Don’t say my name. You don’t  _ deserve  _ to say my name,” he spat, and walked out without another word. 

Cas called out to him and it physically pained Dean to ignore his Alpha’s commands to stop, but he couldn’t sit there and take her pity. Her ‘I’m sorry’s’ and her tears. They wouldn’t help now just as they wouldn’t have helped him then. It was her fault he even had the damn scars, that Michael had found him, that he was forever and irrevocably damaged from the inside out. It was her fault he’d lost a pup, a little life he would never know.

Dean didn’t stop until he was back in the cabin, not even registering the hill or pang between his legs. Breathing heavily, with Jack squirming and fussing in confusion, he sat on the bed and tugged off his shirt, throwing it aside.

“Shh, shh,” he hushed softly, kissing Jack on the forehead as he brought him up to his chest. “I know, I know. Mama’s sorry, it’s okay…”

The pup began to quiet down when he saw a nipple and latched back on. Dean sighed and wiped away the dampness on his little cheeks. He closed his eyes and leaned back on the headboard, for a moment the only sounds in the cabin Jack’s gentle suckling and Dean’s breathing. 

He didn’t open his eyes when he heard the door open and close just moments later, instead focusing on slowing his rapid heart and calming his pup. He held him tightly to his chest and stroked his head with his free hand, trying to will away the stinging tears in his own eyes.

He heard Cas shuffle slowly across the room and felt the mattress shift slightly as he sat down beside him, then a warm hand on his neck a second later.

“Are you alright?”

Dean squeezed his eyes shut tighter and pressed his lips together, shaking his head. “Just...I just need a minute.”

Cas gave him that, falling silent again and moving slowly to Dean’s side. He put an arm around him and pulled him in close, tipping Dean’s head to his shoulder and resting his cheek against the top. 

“I’m very proud of you,” Cas said after several moments, and Dean huffed.

“Dunno why,” he said gruffly. “Barely held it together.”

“But you did. I knew you could.”

“She had no right-”

“She didn’t know what happened to you, Dean,” Cas said gently. “She still doesn’t. But consider reactions to others here that have seen. None of them reacted that way. Mary feels guilty, as she rightfully should. She feels more than just remorse for what happened to you. She feels responsible. Again, as she should. Wouldn’t you rather that reaction from her, than a simple apology? Than pity?”

“What good would it do?” Dean huffed. “It wouldn’t change what happened.”

“No,” Cas agreed, a thumb stroking Dean’s neck as he murmured into his hair. “No, it wouldn’t. But it might help the healing process.” He paused and nuzzled Dean’s cheek. “Would it be so terrible to let her try and repair some of that damage?”

“She doesn’t deserve it.”

“You’re right,” Cas tilted his chin up and kissed him softly. “But you do.”

Dean sighed and looked down at Jack. The pup was dozing off now, a fist curled over his forehead and a foot kicking slightly. 

“You said you would talk to her,” Cas reminded him gently, squeezing the back of his neck just slightly. 

“Didn’t say when,” Dean grumbled.

Cas chuckled and slipped his hand below Dean’s jaw, stroking his jawline. “There’s no timeline you have to follow, Dean. Everything will continue to move entirely at your pace. Just don’t shut down to the idea just yet.”

Dean groaned, dropping his head back to Cas’s shoulder again. “Fine.”

Cas pressed his lips to Dean’s forehead, kissing him every few seconds. Jack was fully asleep after a few more minutes of silence, his mouth slightly agape as he breathed softly.

“Insatiable little guy, isn’t he?” Cas huffed in amusement. “Here.” He held his arms out, and Dean carefully placed Jack in them, keeping the jostling to a minimum so they didn’t wake him. Cas slowly got up and carried him to the crib, lowering him down to the cot and re-adjusting his blanket around him. He stood there and looked down at him for awhile, his hands gripping the side of the crib tightly, almost like it was killing him not to be holding him. 

“Almost as insatiable as you,” Dean murmured, minutes later, trying to hold on to the lightened mood. 

Cas chuckled lightly and finally broke his gaze and moved back to the bed, leaning against the headboard and situating Dean between his legs. He began massaging his shoulders and neck, and Dean leaned heavily into him and groaned. He worked his hands across his shoulders, down to his shoulder blades, up his spine and neck, and back around, gently massaging the area around his breasts.

“Do they still hurt?” he asked, and Dean shrugged and hummed.

“A little. Not as much.”

“Ah, good. You’re adjusting.” Cas dipped his head to kiss his neck. “You’ve done so well. I’m so proud of you.”

Dean was silent for a moment then slowly smiled. “I think...I’m proud of me, too. Little bit.”

Cas paused and blinked, a smile forming on his lips to match Dean’s. “Oh…?”

Dean nodded and laid a hand over Cas’s, the resting just under his left breast. “I never really thought I could do this. The whole mom thing. Pregnancy…” He sighed and squeezed Cas’s hand. “Apart from thinking I was barren, or that even if I did get pregnant again, the pup wouldn’t survive. I never thought I would know how. Not that I really know what I’m doing now, but it feels more...natural than I thought it would.”

“Here’s a secret,” Cas whispered into Dean’s ear and smiled. “No one knows what they’re doing. Every parent does it differently, just as every pup is different. I certainly didn’t know what I was doing when Rory was born.”

“Well, yeah,” Dean snorted and closed his eyes. “You were high half the time.”

“And yet she’s basically perfect.”

Dean chuckled, his hand dropping down to rest on his stomach. The habit was hard to beat, despite the fact that his belly was empty of any growing pup. 

“I like to think it’s my mothering skills that keeps Jack so calm,” Dean clicked his tongue. “But I think it’s just him. He was kind of weirdly intuned in the womb, so it only makes sense that he’s even weirder outside the womb.”

“He gets that from me,” Cas said seriously. 

“No argument there.”

Cas smiled and reached up to stroke Dean’s hair, looking straight ahead at the bare wall. He moved his fingers slowly through the strands, the strong, steady beat in his chest working hard to lull Dean into his own restful sleep. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a few notes, guys!  
> Not gonna lie, we were a little baffled at some of the reactions from the last chapter.  
> First of all, we understand that when writing fanfiction about a show in which characters are already firmly established, we gamble with biases of said characters bleeding through into our stories. We're guilty of that on our end as well.  
> We totally understand not liking Mary, given what we know about her at this point. We totally get that a lot of people also don't like her on the show, and so we kind of expected that sort of reaction toward her as soon as she wasn't presented as a "good" mother. And, of course, we're all very protective of Dean, so believe us, we get it. But there is more regarding Mary, we promise.  
> (No, you may not like her still, but we promise there's more to that story. Just hold on!)  
> As far as Hannah goes...we were a little concerned about the amount of people who absolutely hate and/or don't trust her. Again, we're taking the biases of the character from the show into account, but we strongly feel that the amount of hate she's received so far is unwarranted. Hannah, for the purpose of this story, spent her entire life in a sex trafficking ring and is a trauma and sexual abuse victim/survivor. Some ideas about her felt a little like victim blaming, which we do not want to do (not that we necessarily think that was the intention from any of you, either). She's done nothing at this point that's been untoward or inappropriate. If the fault over Hannah rests anywhere, honestly, it should rest with Cas- after all, he is the one who advanced on her.  
> We're not scolding, and we truly appreciate all of you reading and commenting! We just wanted to address this concern, as two people who have either dealt with sexual abuse/trauma before, or have helped others through it.  
> Continue to leave us feedback! All of it is read and discussed, and we truly appreciate your unique takes and conversations. :)  
> Love you all!

“Look! Look! See? I told you he was doing it.”

Dean crossed his arms proudly over his chest, smiling smugly down at Cas, who was

sitting cross-legged on one of his pillows on the floor. Jack was participating in what Missouri dubbed “tummy time”, with a large blanket spread out under him, and lifting his head up just slightly every couple of minutes or so. 

Cas shifted onto his own stomach, lowering his head into Jack’s line of vision. He gave him a big open-mouthed smile, which morphed into an all-out laugh when Jack mimicked him slightly. He wasn’t laughing or fully smiling yet, but Dean expected it would be soon, with the track he seemed to be on. 

“When you’re right, you’re right,” Cas conceded, flopping over to his back to look up at Dean. “He’ll be walking and talking before long.”

“Don’t say that,” Dean groaned, letting his arms fall to his sides. “Time doesn’t need an excuse to go any faster. Can we just enjoy the  _ now _ ?”

“Fair enough.” Cas clasped his hands over his belly and blinked innocently. “How about you get down here  _ now  _ and kiss me?”

Dean picked at a piece of nonexistent lint off his shirt. “I didn’t hear the magic word.”

“ _ Omega _ .”

Dean grinned and lowered himself onto his hands and knees- not the first time he’s done so for his Alpha- and hovered over Cas’s carefully neutral face.

“What’s wrong, old man?” Dean smirked, licking his lips. “Fallen and can’t get up?”

“I think we both know I have no problems getting anything up,” Cas winked, reaching up to hook an arm around Dean’s neck. “Now are you gonna kiss me or continue to be a big meanie?”

Dean chuckled and let Cas pull him down, pressing their lips together. Jack cooed at them, trying to reach forward but his little arms not quite reaching. They both laughed and pulled apart, and Dean turned his head to let Jack’s hand connect with his nose.

“You’re just a curious little guy, aren’t you?” Dean smiled, mouthing at the tiny fingers poking his lips. Dean very intentionally stretched toward their son, pressing his lower half against Cas’s and smirking to himself when he heard his mate’s sharp intake of breath. He pretended not to notice, squirming slightly as he reached over to stroke Jack’s cheek. He grinned when he felt Cas’s hands on his hips, holding him in place. 

“You’re an insufferable tease,” Cas growled under him, and Dean pointedly wiggled his hips before chuckling softly and rolling off to the side. He laid on his back, his head dangerously close to roaming pup fingers, and grinned over at Cas. Cas lifted his head to look at him, rolled his eyes playfully, and let his head fall back to the floor with a  _ thunk _ , chest rising and falling a little quicker than normal. 

“I barely touched you,” Dean said nonchalantly. 

“You underestimate how desirable you are,” Cas said flatly, scrubbing a hand over his mouth.

Dean looked down, not entirely surprised to see how much that little action had...well,  _ affected  _ his Alpha. They still hadn’t been able to do much in the way of sexual encounters since the birth. Dean’s slick gland had just begun producing semi-normally again and Cas, with the patience of a saint but the brain of a horny teenager, had reluctantly insisted they wait until Dean was back to his normal self. In the meantime, he’d thrown himself into working on the cabins for ten, sometimes twelve hours a day, and their group had managed to raise several in the last month. Dean hadn’t forgotten about his two week vacation promise, just waiting for the opportune moment to request it.

Dean smiled when tiny fingers tugged at his hair, then his ear, and a happy gurgle followed by another tug at his ear. He hoisted Jack up off his blanket and held him above his head, grinning when the pup squealed excitedly and flailed his arms and legs.

Cas chuckled and watched as Dean bounced his arms, Jack gurgling and squirming happily. “You’re very good with him,” he said, looking at his mate fondly.

“Well, he’s easy to please,” Dean shrugged and slowly lowered the pup down to his chest, where he immediately began searching for a nipple. “See? Just like his dad.”

Cas dropped his jaw in mock indignation. “What are you saying, my Omega?”

“I’m sayin’ you’re an Alpha, and as long as you’re fed and stick your knot-”

“I am not so simple,” Cas clicked his tongue and scratched at his cheek. “Though I wouldn’t mind it if our pup would stop hogging your nipples.”

“You’ll have to take that up with him,” Dean smirked and lifted his shirt, holding Jack close as the pup latched on. 

“I suppose his need is greater than mine.”

Dean chuckled. “What a noble admission.”

Cas grinned and rolled to his side, propping his head up with a hand. He reached over and rubbed Jack’s head, then scooted closer to lay his own head on Dean’s stomach as he watched their son silently. Dean automatically started carding his fingers through the Alpha’s thick hair.

“Miss my girl,” Cas mumbled quietly, and Dean huffed.

“Seemed mighty ready to get rid away from us, didn’t she?” He recalled earlier that day, how Rory skipped excitedly down the hill as they took her to spend time with Sam, Eileen, and Maura, at their request. She’d always been used to spending time away from home anyway, even welcomed it, more often than not. But now that Jack was born and Cas didn’t have a reason to be gone anymore, Dean had looked forward to more family time at home with all of them. He was always so preoccupied with taking care of Jack that he didn’t feel like he got all that much time to spend with Rory, and apparently Cas was feeling similarly, although he admittedly got more with her than Dean was able to.

Dean sighed. “Sam’s got that really cool collection of books, remember? And Eileen’s teaching her sign language. Maura’s already smiling and laughing and mimicking. They’re currently more exciting than we are.”

Cas turned his head against Dean’s stomach to look up at him, pulling his hand down to his lips and kissing it. 

“Kids are so petty,” he said sincerely, a smile slowly spreading over his face a second later. “Don’t let it bother you, Omega. She loves us. She’s just...opportunistic.”

Dean hummed. “Not bothered,” he shrugged, focusing his gaze on his pup. Jack blinked up at him, fists curled into Dean’s breast. 

He looked down when he felt Cas shift and sighed as Cas kissed at his exposed belly. The scratches of his facial hair sent shivers up his spine as Cas nuzzled and licked at his skin. 

“I know how you think, Dean,” Cas murmured, tracing a scar with his lips. “You think you’re not smart enough for her. That she’ll stop wanting to spend time with you because you don’t know as much as Sam, or-”

“It’s already happening, Cas,” Dean sighed. “I’m not upset. I’m...resigned. She needs to be around people who can teach her things. I can’t even read, except for a few simple words.”

“You’re learning.”

“Not really,” Dean shook his head. “Rory was teaching me, but she hasn’t done much of that lately.” He lifted his head to look down at Cas, smiling, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s fine, Cas. Rory’s always been adventurous, wanting to discover new things, new people. I’m just...too slow paced for her now. With a newborn and all, I can’t really do much. Not her fault...not really anyone’s fault. Just the way it is.”

“You teach her new things all the time, Dean.”

Dean snorted. “Right.”

“I mean it.” Cas rolled back to his hands and knees and leaned down to kiss another scar, down to his waistband, then moving to another and following it back up. His hands traced others, roaming over the raised skin, his lips and tongue following the patterns stretched across his torso. “You’ve taught her survival skills I never would’ve thought of. You cook with her, you draw with her, you take her fishing and swimming. You spend real  _ time  _ with her, not out of obligation or necessity but because you honestly want to, because you love her. You’re teaching her how to be a sister, and similarly, how to be an Alpha.” He kissed another scar, then moved up to hover just above Dean, a hand on either side of his head. “And most importantly, you’re teaching her what a mother’s love is, and what it means. You’re her hero, Dean.”

Dean swallowed as he looked into deep blue eyes, shaking his head slightly. “No...no, I-”

“You  _ are _ .” Cas smiled slightly and leaned down to kiss him, chaste but lingering. 

Dean chased his lips and the kiss melted into something deeper, something with an edge of desperation from weeks of barely touching. Not because they didn’t want to touch, or because they were fighting like that awful time before Jack was born, but because they knew even the lightest touch could set them off. It reminded Dean of those first few months when they danced around each other, breathing through their mouths while Dean tried to keep his overly eager body under control. 

Cas huffed and pulled away reluctantly, breathing heavy and his pupils slightly blown. Dean smirked and he had to admit that when his Alpha had that look in his eyes, he honestly felt like the most beautiful thing in the world. He secretly relished being able to make Cas come undone so easily. 

“Miss me, Alpha?” Dean purred, parting his legs just a little, a movement that could be  taken as a simple shift to get more comfortable, but Cas knew better. 

“Yes,” Cas breathed, his voice low, almost growling. “Conniving Omega. You know what you’re doing.”

Dean adjusted Jack as he slowed on his suckling. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just layin’ here, feeding my pup.”

“You’re evil,” Cas whined, fingers clenching and unclenching by Dean’s head.

“Am not.”

“And you also changed the subject,” Cas grumbled down at him. “Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

Dean shrugged, looking smug. “It worked. Like I said…” he gently pressed his knee into Cas’s crotch, feeling the forming bulge between those thick thighs. “Easy to please.”

“Amazing. For as much as you claim to love me, you have an awfully strange way of showing it.”

“Mmm. Don’t be so easy to tempt.”

“Can’t help it. You’re temptation personified, on steroids, walking and talking and staring me in the face, and now  _ mocking _ me _.  _ You may as well be naked on all fours in front of me, for as turned on as I am by you all the time.” Cas shifted out of Dean’s immediate reach, moving down to continue his body worship. Dean gasped softly when his warm mouth met another one of his scars and his tongue traced it downward, until it disappeared under his waistband. He mouthed over Dean’s clothed cock, chuckling darkly when Dean canted his hips upward and groaned.

“Two can play at this game, sweet boy,” Cas purred, and the gravely sound of his voice muffled against his cock had him slicking lightly in his jeans.

“Cas-”

Cas pushed himself up to his knees and settled himself innocently between Dean’s legs, pulling him close, his nostrils flaring as he got a whiff of Dean’s arousal. Dean grinned and wrapped his legs around his waist and Cas’s jaw clenched, but he stood his ground. 

“Can’t wait to taste you again,” Cas continued, sliding his hands down and around Dean’s thighs. “I  _ dream _ about the taste of your slick on my tongue. And now here you are, stretching and moaning provocatively as you casually feed our son what is no doubt another exceptional product of your incredible body, and you’re content watching me struggling to hold myself together.” He shook his head incredulously. “You’re sadistic, Omega.”

Dean’s voice sounded cockier than he felt. “Maybe just opportunistic.”

“Oh?” Cas raised a brow. “How so?”

“Maybe I just want to know how much you  _ really  _ want me.” Dean adjusted Jack into the crook of his arm and held the back of his head. He was- incredibly- still latched and suckling, even in his sleep.

Cas’s hands kept roaming, the hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his lips briefly, eyes twinkling. “You want me to beg you.”

Dean quirked a smile and pulled him in a little closer. “But you wouldn’t dare beg an Omega for anything, would you, Alpha?” He blinked up at him innocently. “No matter how badly you want it.”

Cas’s eyes flashed. “For you? Begging is the least I’d do.”

Dean licked his lips and twitched when his hole released another few drops of slick. He definitely wasn’t creating his normal, slightly ridiculous amount yet, but his body was certainly trying. “I’m almost afraid to ask what the most is you’ll do,” he murmured, tightening his thighs briefly around Cas’s waist.

“Anything,” Cas said immediately, his tone utterly serious, his eyes unwavering as he stared down at his mate. “I have no limit with you, Dean. I would do anything for you.”

Dean let out a shuddering breath. He believed every word and it was honestly a little terrifying. It was something he already knew, though, deep down. His Alpha was a man who would kill for him,  _ has  _ killed for him, would make whatever sacrifices necessary to keep him and their family safe and happy. 

“Well, luckily for you,” Dean whispered, running his free hand up Cas’s shirt to feel along the hard torso underneath. “You’ll never really have to beg, as fun as that might be to see. I want you just as much, if not more. I want... _ all of you _ .”

“You keep saying that, but I don’t think you’ve wrapped your mind around what exactly you mean,” Cas said lowly, catching Dean’s wrist as he tried to slip his hand under Cas’s shirt. Dean twisted his wrist slightly, only half trying to break free of Cas’s grasp, his body tingling excitedly when it did nothing but strengthen Cas’s hold on him.

Dean looked pointedly up at him and raised an eyebrow. “I think you underestimate my knowledge of exactly what you could do to me,” he said, arching up against him slightly. 

Cas paused and licked his lips quickly, letting out a breathy laugh and shaking his head. “You’re trouble, Omega.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. I’m glad you want me like you do, because if you decided to play hard to get I’d have way too much fun chasing you.” He let go of Dean’s wrist and leaned back, slowly prying his legs from around his waist. 

“Ooh, you mean like... _ that  _ kind of chase?” Dean asked shyly, tilting his head.

“Something I’m not sure you’re ready for, sweet boy,” Cas said softly, brushing a finger over his bottom lip. “Physically or otherwise.”

Dean nipped at his finger, a thoughtful expression on his face. Physically, no he wouldn’t last long in a proper chase, especially against a giant wolf. His soreness was gone, but Missouri was adamant on him not doing anything too laborious for at least another week. The birth, while mostly uncomplicated, had been almost a month early and the tearing had been extensive, especially since his birthing canal hadn’t technically been ready. The healing was taking a little longer than normal. 

‘Otherwise’, however...Dean wasn’t so sure he agreed with Cas on that. He understood Cas’s apprehension. The thought of his Alpha chasing him was...well, just a little bit terrifying, but it sent a delicious thrill through him as well. Just like he had told Hannah, Cas scared him, but not because he thought Cas would hurt him in any way. He wanted the thunderstorm, the lightning, the furious waves crashing onto the beach shore. It was very clear, at least to Dean, that he wanted his Alpha to fully and completely dominate him in the way he  _ knew _ Cas wanted. 

“Where’s your mind, Omega?”

Dean blinked up at him and Cas inhaled sharply, staring down at him with a curiously unreadable expression. The kind that he used when he was confronted with something he didn’t yet understand but was working his mind on figuring out. Dean vaguely wondered what Cas was seeing that was putting his mind into gear like that.

“On you,” he answered simply, glancing down at Jack when the pup finally released Dean’s nipple. “He’s asleep...should put him down.”

Cas nodded silently and helped Dean to his feet. When Jack was safely tucked inside his crib, Dean turned to Cas and pulled him into a kiss. 

“I think I’m ready for more than you think,” he murmured against his lips. 

Cas's lips went still against his and his breath caught in his throat. “Dean, you don't know what you're-"

“Yes, I do,” Dean said firmly, gripping Cas's hips and backing him up slowly, until the backs of his knees hit the bed and Dean forced him to sit with a hand on his shoulder. Cas’s hands slid down his thighs and he looked up at Dean in awe, swallowing with an audible click as Dean straddled his lap. 

“You… you want that.”

Dean hummed, running his fingers through Cas's wild hair. “The idea of you… completely wild… chasing me, catching me, pushing that big knot inside and breeding me…” he moved his hands to Cas's face, running his thumbs over his lips until he opened his mouth enough for a sharp fang to appear, poking at it with the pad of his thumb. “Sinking these big fangs into me…” he shivered as he slowly began to move, grinding down on Cas's now hard cock. “Yes, Alpha, I want that.  _ Very  _ much.”

A growl started low in Cas's chest, and he licked his lips and swallowed hard, pupils fully blown again. “Dean…”

“You want it, too,” Dean murmured, his thumb tracing just below Cas’s eye, now almost completely black. Funny how that used to scare him. “Look at you; just thinking about it has you ready to jump back into that wolf skin.”

Cas’s eyelids slid shut and he took a deep breath, nostrils flaring with the scent of Dean’s arousal. “You would...let me take you like that. In that form. Knowing what I’m like...what I could do.”

“Yes,” Dean grinded down to emphasize his point and Cas grit his teeth, fangs poking out from his lips. 

“I could hurt you,” Cas said a bit breathlessly. 

“Mm, but you won’t,” Dean tossed back, confident and unconcerned. “I mated all of you, Cas. Knowing who and what you were. You don’t think I’ve thought of it?”

Cas’s eyes flew open and he gripped Dean’s hips tightly. “Dean-”

“I trust you, Alpha,” Dean said lowly, taking Cas’s face between his palms. “And I trust the wolf. I didn’t know it at the time, but you were my first friend. The first one I ever trusted...the first one to accept me and want me just as I am. You’re not going to hurt me.”

Cas let out a shaky breath as he looked up at him, as if trying to decide if he was sincere or not. He pressed his fingertips into Dean's hips.

“You know what could happen,” he said softly, “if we… that-"

“I know.” 

Cas chewed his bottom lip, a faraway look in his eye. Dean could almost imagine his mind running away with the prospect of the chase, and he had to admit the thought was more exciting to him as well the more he considered it. He wanted that big strong wolf to mount him, fully claim him. The thrill of the chase pumping through his veins…

“I'm...I don't know, Dean.”

“Why the hell not?” Dean frowned and sat back in his lap. “You want to. I know you do. And I'm telling you that I do too.”

“That form…” Cas let out a breath. “I can't risk hurting you, Omega. We can still chase, without me wolfing out. It would be safer that way… for many reasons.”

“Cas, you won’t-”

“I said no, Dean,” Cas said in a gentle, but firm voice bordering on his Alpha tone and Dean found himself resenting it a little.

He stared down at Cas, mouth slightly ajar in shock before he snapped it shut with a sharp click. He pushed off Cas’s lap and stood, tugging on his hair in an old nervous, agitated gesture.

“That’s...that’s not fair, Cas,” he finally said, voice trembling.

Castiel frowned, eyes downturned. “What do you mean?”

“Why can’t I decide what I do or do not want?” Dean demanded, glaring down at him. “Why can’t  _ I _ know what I’m ready for, or not ready for? Why is that only you get to make those decisions?”

Cas pressed his lips into a thin line and smoothed his palms down his thighs. “This is not only about you,” he said slowly. “You’ve only seen that form when I’m calm, in control. I just barely held onto that control that night in the forest. At the camp, I-” he stopped, swallowing hard. “During a chase...I don’t trust myself. I will not risk it.”

“But  _ I _ trust you,” Dean huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m not made of glass and I...I don’t really appreciate you deciding I can and cannot do.”

“Dean,” Cas said exasperatedly, reaching up to pull on his arm, “please. Your safety, your wellbeing, is my number one concern. I could not forgive myself if I hurt you. Especially after all you've been through. You have to understand-"

“Oh, I understand,” Dean said plainly. “I understand that you put what  _ you _ think is best for me before what  _ I  _ think is best for myself.”

Cas let his hands drop to his sides with a _ slap _ , sighing heavily. “That's not what this is.”

“Well, it feels like it.”

There was a long pause, then Cas sighed again and looked up at him with tired eyes. “You're right.”

“I...I am?”

“Yes.” He swallowed and looked down at his lap, then back up. “What do  _ you  _ want, Omega?”

Dean chewed on his lip and slowly lowered himself onto his knees in front of Cas, laying his hands on his lap. Cas immediately reached forward, carding rough fingers through Dean’s hair as the Omega pressed his cheek to his knee. 

“I want…” he began slowly, picking through his limited vocabulary carefully, “You to understand...that this isn’t about sex. I just- I had to hide my whole life and because of that I don’t have a lot of experience...I don’t know a lot of things. I don’t even know things about myself. I didn’t just hide from Alphas, I hid from myself. Being with you has...pulled back the curtain a little.” He looked up, Cas’s hand resting just under his chin and stroking his jaw. “I want to explore these things about myself that I didn’t know were there before. I want to explore you. I feel like there are still so many things I don’t know about you, because I feel like you lock so much of yourself away. And I don’t want you to do that anymore. I think it exhausts you, and I think it’s why being in that form is so difficult. I think if you let that part of you in more, and all the other parts of you that you’re hiding from me, then the control won’t be so difficult to hold onto. I want you to stop denying yourself what you want or need, and I want you to stop thinking I can’t handle it.” 

Cas’s hand froze on his jaw, and he stared wordlessly at him for a long time. Dean flexed his hands in his lap, practically holding his breath while he waited for Cas to speak. 

“I'm stronger than you think I am, Cas,” Dean said softly, looking down. 

“Dean, this was never about your strength,” Cas said quickly, resuming his stroking. “I know how strong you are. I've always known it. This is about potential repercussions of something that- as far as we know- has never been attempted before."

“But… the stories-"

“Are just that,” Cas interrupted him, pulling his attention back up to him with a firm hand under his chin. “Lore. Word of mouth tales that originated from people no longer living. We don't really know what could happen… if those stories are true. I don't know what it would mean for you… what I could do to you…” he pressed his lips together and sighed. “That being said-"

Dean held his breath. 

“If this is what you want… what you  _ truly  _ want… I will entertain the possibility.”

Dean searched Castiel’s face for a moment before sighing softly and nodding. That was the best he was going to get out of the other and he supposed he’d have to be happy with that for now. 

His eyes dropped to Cas’s lap and he moved forward to nuzzle up his thigh, then the side of his still very present bulge. Cas sucked in a breath, his fingers tightening in Dean’s hair. 

“Dean, we can’t-“ 

“Last time I checked, my mouth was in perfect working order,” Dean mouthed along the clothed erection, paying special attention to the forming knot. “It’s been a month. You’re all pent up.” He looked up through his eyelashes and licked his lips. “Let me make you feel good.” 

“Who’s being unfair now?” Cas teased, quirking a smile. He pulled Dean up by his arms, hooking his hand around the back of his neck to pull him the rest of the way onto the bed. He laid back and re-adjusted Dean on his lap, smiling up at him. “Won’t let me so much as touch you, when I so badly want to make  _ you  _ feel good-”

“Doctor’s orders,” Dean shrugged, looking smug. “Believe me, when I’m able again, you can do whatever you want to me. But in the meantime…”

Dean unbuttoned Cas’s shirt, pulling it open so he could trail wet kisses down his chest and abdomen, paying special attention to his scars. Every small touch had Cas reacting, however subtly, and Dean once again marveled at how easy it seemed to be for him to take Cas apart. He moved to the side to unbutton Cas’s pants, biting his lip and looking up at him as he slipped a hand inside and slid it along his length. Cas let out a breath and a shudder, watching him with hooded eyes. He reached down to trace Dean’s bottom lip with his thumb, pulling it slightly.

“Naughty Omega,” he clicked his tongue, lips turned up in one corner. 

Dean smiled and licked at the thumb, pulling it into his mouth and sucking lightly on the tip. It was rough on his tongue, years of hard work evident on Cas’s skin, and Dean loved every bit of it. Cas exhaled slowly and pressed his thumb down on Dean’s tongue.

“ _ Very _ naughty,” Cas corrected, grazing his lip with his fang. 

Dean, pleased with himself, let the thumb slip from his mouth and took a firm hold around Cas’s knot. The Alpha sucked in a breath and bucked once, cock twitching in Dean’s hand. Dean smirked and nuzzled along the side of the hard length, kissing his way up and then teasing the slit with his tongue. He watched Cas squirm beneath him, pre-cum coating his lips as he kissed the head. He licked at his lips and every drop on the glistening head, the taste of his Alpha making his whole body hum with pleasure. 

“C’mere,” Cas commanded, and he was helping Dean up his body before Dean really had the chance to do it himself. He pulled him down by the back of his neck, crushing their lips together and immediately slipping his tongue inside and slotting it against Dean’s. He slid his hands down his body and hooked them behind Dean’s thighs, moving him gently against his body and creating delicious friction against Dean’s own swelling cock. Dean moaned into Cas’s mouth, letting out a small yelp of surprise when Cas flipped him without preamble to his back. He was immediately on him again, rutting against his thigh and licking into his mouth. He grabbed Dean’s wrists and pushed them up above their heads.

“Take hold of the headboard, Omega. Don’t let go.” Cas pulled back with a sly grin and peeled himself off of Dean, watching him comply to his wishes as he stepped off the bed to remove his pants completely. He took his cock in his hand as he crawled on his knees back up the bed to him, and Dean arched up to him- pregnancy pooch and stretch marks be damned- enjoying the slight hitch in Cas’s breath.

Cas gave Dean another passionate kiss before straddling his chest, careful not to put much weight there, and rubbed the head of his cock against his lips. Dean wanted to open up and take him in his mouth, but he knew when Cas got like this he liked being the one to tell him what to do and when to do it, so he waited, closing his eyes as Cas spread more precum against his lips.

“Sweet, pretty boy,” Cas crooned, reaching down with his free hand to stroke Dean’s jaw. “So  _ good _ , so  _ obedient _ . I might  _ have _ to give you your chase. Good boys deserve rewards for their efforts.” 

Dean arched again and bucked up slightly, his jeans the only friction against his aching cock. 

“Mmm. I guess you’ll just have to show me how badly you want it, won’t you, Omega?”

Dean nodded, eyes firmly fixated on Cas. “Yes, Alpha.”

Cas hummed again. “That’s my good boy.” He stroked himself once and brushed the head of his cock against Dean’s lips. “Open for me, gorgeous.”

Dean’s lips parted eagerly and he took a deep breath before Cas pushed his swollen head inside, the taste of Alpha cock and pre-cum sliding across his tongue. He moaned and closed his eyes, forcing his jaw and throat to relax as Cas pushed further in. He was by no means an expert at this yet, but Dean felt more comfortable with it now than he did earlier in their relationship. Cas was patient and Dean was eager, and that seemed to be a good combination.

“Yes, baby, that’s it…” Cas breathed, licking his lips quickly and pressing a thumb to the corner of Dean’s mouth, watching him stretch wide. “You fit so well around me. So good, Omega.”

Dean shuddered and swallowed around the cock halfway down his throat, enjoying the way it twitched in his mouth. His fingers gripped the headboard tightly, knuckles white and the muscles in his arm clenched. Cas’s knot was pressed against his lips, and the Alpha’s heavy sac was fit snugly against his chin. Dean bucked again and moaned, eager to taste that hot load and feel it run down his throat. 

Cas slowly pulled out and Dean fought not to chase after him. Alpha left only the tip in, letting Dean take another breath before sinking back inside. 

“I’m obsessed with being inside you,” Cas murmured, tracing along Dean’s stretched lips. “You just feel so good, Omega. Warm and wet and perfect for me. I could stay inside you forever.”

Dean hummed around Cas’s cock, causing Cas to lean forward to brace himself against the headboard, his mouth falling open in a silent gasp. He pulled out slightly and pushed back in a little further, tongue pressed to the back of his teeth as he watched tears form at the corners of Dean’s eyes. He pulled out fully when Dean was sure he couldn’t last another second without air, and he drew in a shuddering breath as Cas slid his fingers down Dean’s jaw and over his throat, then back up again. Dean’s chest heaved and Cas gave him a minute, gently rubbing his face, his hair, and when Dean seemed composed, Cas used his thumb to pull his mouth open again, slowly sliding his cock back inside. Dean took the opportunity to lap at the slit, the heady taste of Cas’s arousal thick on his tongue as he slid it against the vein on the underside of his cock.

“ _ Fuck _ ,” Cas said a little breathlessly, bracing himself with one hand against the headboard as he held Dean’s jaw with the other. “You out to prove something to me, Omega?”

Dean blinked up at him, almost,  _ almost _ rolling his eyes at Cas’s smug grin.

“ _ Oh _ . Oh, that’s right,” Cas half laughed as he let his head fall back and pushed in deeper. “You really want that chase, hmm?” He rocked his hips in and out at a slow pace, deep enough to cut off Dean’s air again at times, but also giving him plenty of time between thrusts to catch his breath. Cas’s smile faded and he tilted his head. “You know...I’ve never bred in my wolf form before. What if…” he grunted softly as he pushed in deep, sucking in a breath when Dean swallowed around his cock, “...what if the lore is true? What would you do then, sweet Omega?”

Dean locked gazes with him, green eyes unblinking and so intense Cas swore that for just a moment they looked as if they were glowing. Dean grabbed the hand not braced against the headboard and guided it back, pressing Cas’s palm to his belly firmly.

Cas’s eyes widened and his cock twitched inside Dean’s mouth, pre-cum leaking out steadily. “You would...carry them, Omega? You would swell up again for my pups?”

Dean nodded subtly and took a much needed breath as Cas pulled back, lungs burning as he sucked in air. “Yes, Alpha,” he said roughly, his voice wrecked. “Made for you. Made to carry your seed.”

Cas groaned and closed his eyes, his cock pulsing against Dean’s lips and twitching again. The knot was swollen and Dean’s hole clenched desperately, wanting it locked deep inside. Cas shook his head and moaned, resuming a steady pace as his cock twitched with impending orgasm. He locked their fingers together and brought Dean’s hand up to his lips, kissing it gently before guiding it back to the headboard.

“Doesn’t scare you? Being bred by a wolf?” 

He rocked in and out a few more times before pulling back enough to let Dean speak, and he swallowed hard and licked his lips, then shook his head. “No.”

Cas raised a brow. “No?”

“It’s still you,” Dean said simply. Cas only allowed himself to be thrown off for a split second before composing himself, inclining his head slightly.

“Open.”

Dean complied, and Cas slid slowly back in, watching Dean intently as he resumed stroking his jaw. Dean worked his tongue and throat as well as he could, giving a pleased hum as he saw Cas begin to lose himself, his mouth hanging open and head thrown back, eyes closed.

“Gonna come for you, sweet Omega,” he panted, running his hand up through Dean’s hair. “Be a good boy and swallow it all down for me, okay?”

Dean let out a muffled moan as Cas’s cock pulsed and spilled down his throat, and the Alpha had to brace himself with both hands on the headboard as Dean greedily swallowed down every drop he could of the warm, thick liquid. He sighed as he felt it slide down his throat and settle in his belly, feeling the warmth all the way down. Alpha’s cock pulsed in his mouth as it continued to spill, coating his tongue and throat until the stream of cum finally stopped. 

Cas, panting heavily, his eyes wide and dark, gently pulled out. Dean sucked in a breath, then another, his face flushed and his lips puffy and red, glistening with saliva and a thin layer of cum. Cas growled darkly and crashed their lips together in a demanding kiss, tongue plundering Dean’s mouth. Dean was submissive, pliant, letting Cas dominate and shuddering as the Alpha growled against his lips. 

The kiss broke and they both panted, bodies trembling. Dean shifted and realized his jeans were soaked with his own release and slick, and he grimaced slightly. Cas grunted and rolled away, settling beside Dean on his back, an arm thrown over his forehead as he caught his breath.

“That all you got, Alpha?” Dean teased, even as he struggled to catch his own breath. “You really must be getting old.”

Cas peeked at him from under his arm, narrowing his eyes. “It’s impolite to disrespect your elders, Dean.”

“Mmm.” Dean rolled to his side, sealing his lips over Cas’s nipple and sucking gently. He kissed his way down his torso, stopping at his cock and pressing a kiss to the wet head. He blinked innocently up at Cas through his lashes. “More please, Alpha?”

Cas chuckled darkly. “Much better.” He wrapped a hand around his cock, and gripped Dean’s chin with the other. “I’ll see what I can do for you, since you asked  _ so nicely _ .”

Dean licked his lips and nodded, and Cas began to stroke himself, slowly at first and quicker as he pushed himself closer to a second orgasm. He used his own precum to wet his shaft, occasionally squeezing at the knot at the base, and it wasn’t long before he was coming again, leaving a small pool on his abdomen.

He let go of Dean’s chin then, instead moving his hand around to the back of his neck.

“C’mere, sweetheart,” he said softly, guiding him to the mess, and Dean looked up at him as he lapped it up greedily. The taste of Cas’s release mixed with the light sheen of sweat on his body had Dean’s inner Omega purring contentedly, not to mention the look of proud satisfaction on Cas’s face.

“That’s my sweet boy,” he whispered, stroking Dean’s jaw tenderly. “You look so good, Omega. Perfect…”

“More,” Dean purred as he lapped up the last few drops. 

Cas’s lips quirked in the corners and he reached down to tug at Dean’s waistband. “Take these off, sweetheart.”

Dean scrambled to do so, pushing the wet material off his legs as quickly as possible and depositing them off the side of the bed.

Cas’s chest rumbled with a deep purr and he dragged Dean up, chests sliding against each other, until his still hard cock was lined up with Dean’s twitching hole. He didn’t push inside, refusing to take any chances until Missouri gave them the all-clear, but slick coated his length as he bucked up. His cock slid between Dean’s cheeks, slick easing the way, and Dean moaned desperately as he pushed back. He wanted Alpha inside so badly it was torture to have him so close, the knot grazing his rim with every thrust, his hole clenching wildly. 

“Alpha,” Dean whined, burying his face into Cas’s neck. “Want it, please, Alpha-”

“Shh,” Cas nuzzled his cheek and gripped his hips, thrusting up and groaning as his cock slipped over Dean’s hole wetly. “I got you, Omega. Gonna take care of you…”

Dean sat up slightly to grind back against him, looking down at the mess on his crotch that he was steadily smearing across Cas’s torso. Without thinking, he brushed his thumb across the wetness and brought it up to Cas’s lips, and Cas took the digit into his mouth, sucking it clean. He closed his eyes and moaned, thrusting up hard, and Dean felt the warmth against his backside as Cas came again with a choked sound. Cas’s cock slid wetly through the mess and Dean continued to grind back against it, until Alpha’s cock stopped pulsing with orgasm. Dean leaned forward to bury his face in Cas’s neck again, scenting him deeply, and he shivered as he felt the cum running down across his clenching hole.

“Call me old if you want,” Cas breathed against his shoulder, “but I think I’m definitely going to need a bit of a break now, sweet boy.”

Dean laughed breathlessly against his neck. “No complaints here. I’m quite pleased with your service.”

“Oh?” Cas chuckled. “Well, then. You’re really going to love when I get my mouth on that pretty little hole of yours.”

Dean blushed and he squirmed as his hole released a sluggish stream of slick. He couldn’t wait until his body was back in order, his impatience to be with his Alpha mounting with every passing day. 

“I don’t like this waiting,” Dean huffed a bit childishly, nipping at the mating mark on Cas’s neck. “I feel fine. Can’t we just-”

“Absolutely not,” Cas said gently but firmly, squeezing the back of Dean’s neck. “You may not hurt anymore, but your body is still recovering. It was no easy thing what you did. Birth is highly stressful on the body. Knotting you can wait, Omega. Patience.”

Dean grumbled and Cas chuckled, stroking the back of his head gently. “It pleases me that you want me so much,” he said with a slightly smug grin. “You really know how to feed an Alpha’s ego.”

Dean scoffed and shifted himself to Cas’s side, uncaring of the mess no doubt dripping onto their sheets. He’d pull them off and wash them before Rory was due back. He glanced over his shoulder, pleased to find Jack still sleeping soundly in his crib, and settled into the crook of Cas’s arm. 

“So…” he started slowly, tracing patterns with a finger on Cas’s chest, “did I convince you?”

Cas dropped his head back against the pillow and laughed. 

“What? You thought I’d forget?” Dean said incredulously. “What was the whole point of my stellar performance if not to sway your decision?”

Cas hummed and kissed the top of his head. “I love you, Omega.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“You’re cute when you’re demanding.”

Dean huffed. “You’re an asshole when you’re evasive.”

Cas laughed again, and the sound slowly faded away as he let out a deep breath and frowned up at the ceiling. Dean waited, somewhat impatiently, as Cas seemed to be considering his words.

“Why?” he said finally, and Dean frowned at him.

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you want this so badly? Why, all of a sudden, are you so keen on doing it?”

Dean was slightly taken aback by the question. He hadn’t really thought of the  _ why  _ before. Missouri had put the thought in his head months earlier and ever since then he’d been secretly turning it over in his mind. What was strange is that never really scared him or even came across as odd, just different. Something unknown to him. An idea he picked at when he was alone with his thoughts.

“It’s…” Dean bit his lip and continued tracing over Cas’s chest. “Not so sudden actually. I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”

Cas inhaled sharply and swallowed audibly. “...Really.”

Dean nodded, unsure if Cas was pleased with that or not. “Started off as just...I dunno, a curiosity. If you wanted to mount me in that form or not, if that was something that was normal for shifters. If the wolf even wanted me like that. I was pregnant and couldn’t do much. The mind wanders.”

Cas hummed, waiting for Dean to continue.

“The thought wouldn’t leave me alone, though,” Dean sighed. “And I realized it wasn’t scary or weird to me. It almost feels...natural? Like it’s something I should want. Something that’s just a part of me. And like I said...it’s still you. I don’t want you to feel like you have to keep your wolf locked up or something.”

“It feels...natural.”

“Yeah. Look, Cas, I-” he huffed, flopping onto his back and scrubbing a hand down his face. “I can’t explain it. But that night in the woods...it kind of put things into a different perspective for me. It didn’t feel taboo or weird anymore. It just felt...right. Instinctual. You were so in your element, you just had this...aura, or whatever, and it was so powerful. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so connected to you before. And Jack was going crazy too. He reacts really strongly to your wolf form. I guess that kind of makes sense. He’s part wolf too, after all...in the genetic sense, anyway.”

Cas swallowed and looked up at the ceiling, chewing his bottom lip. Dean looked over at him and furrowed his brow. 

“What?”

“I think,” Cas said slowly, letting his lip slide from between his teeth, “that there are things you should know, before we...um. Before you make this decision.”

Dean raised a brow. “What kind of things?”

“Things about yourself...your family, that you don’t know.”

Dean sighed and scrubbed at his face again. “Cas, you aren’t making any sense.”

“I know,” Cas murmured. “It will make sense once you speak to your mother.”

Dean groaned and turned away from Cas, burying his face into the pillow. “Of course you turn this back around on that subject,” he growled, his voice muffled.

“Dean,” Cas said gently, laying his chin on Dean’s shoulder and looping an arm around his middle. “I promise it’s relevant. You promised me weeks ago you’d talk to her and you keep finding reasons to put it off. I know you don’t want to have that conversation, but she’s part of the pack now and you can’t avoid her forever. And I  _ promise _ that what she needs to tell you is no light matter. It will make a difference.”

“And if I talk to her,” Dean grumbled. “You’ll let it go and actually consider the fact that I might actually know how I feel and if I’m ready for certain-”

“Yes, Dean,” Cas said patiently, laying a hand on his scarred-up belly to silence the tirade before it began. “If you choose not to speak to her anymore after she tells you what she needs to tell you, I will respect that. I won’t say another word about it. I promise.”

Dean opened his mouth to say something else quippy, but Jack chose that moment to start fussing from his crib. 

“Fine,” he spat, although there was no real heat behind it. “But after that, this-” he gestured betwee them, “-is gonna happen.”

Cas pressed his lips together and nodded once, kissing his forehead as they both got up. Cas went to the bathroom and came back with a warm rag, which he used to clean Dean up with as Dean cradled Jack to his chest. Jack cried awhile longer, not wanting to latch right away, until Dean started rocking him and humming softly. Cas dressed himself and pulled out fresh pants for Dean as well, laying them on the bed beside him. 

“It’s really amazing to watch you do that,” Cas said quietly, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall, watching them fondly. “It’s just...my wonder over the things you can do never ceases.”

“All mothers can do it,” Dean mumbled, feeling a little self-conscious, in that way he always did when Cas looked at him like that. It wasn’t necessarily a bad feeling, he just had a hard time understanding what Cas saw, which made it hard for him to accept his compliments.

“That doesn’t make it any less incredible,” Cas argued.

“You’re just tryin’ to butter me up so I’ll let you taste it,” Dean huffed, though his lips quirked at the corners. 

“Not true,” Cas said then paused briefly. “But if you’re offering…”

“Weirdo.”

“I never claimed to be normal, sweetheart,” Cas smirked, tilting his head. “That should be obvious by now.”

“It was obvious within the first five minute of meeting you.”

“So what does that say about you?”

Dean sighed dramatically. “That I’m a saint for taking pity on such an old, crazy Alpha.”

“You know,” Cas clicked his tongue and pushed off the wall, approaching Dean slowly. “If you keep calling me old, I may lose all confidence and certain things might stop working…”

Dean blinked then glanced up at Cas. “I misspoke. You’re not old. You’re...vibrant.”

“Better.”

“So strong,” Dean continued, lips splitting into a grin. “The strongest. You put all Alphas to shame.”

“I feel like you’re making fun of me now,” Cas grumbled, narrowing his eyes.

“I would never.”

“Mmm,” Cas smiled and stopped beside Dean, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. “You’ve gotten to have a bit of a  _ mouth _ , Omega. I might need to do something about that.”

“Oh yeah?” Dean raised his eyebrows. “What’d you have in mind?”

Cas chuckled. “I’ll think of something.”

\----

Now that Cas had given him somewhat of an ultimatum, Dean was slightly more- okay, a lot more- keen on having the talk with Mary about whatever it was that Cas was so insistent on. He hadn’t really seen her since the day in Sam and Eileen’s cabin, except occasionally walking around the camp, but she was smart enough to keep her distance, which Dean was grateful for. He was, however, ready to have the talk and get it over with, so he could tell Cas  _ again _ that he knew what he wanted. It was the only thing standing in the way, and although Cas seemed to be sure it would be enough to change his mind, Dean knew that there was nothing Mary could tell him that would make him think any differently regarding that subject or decision.

Sam had been kind enough not to push Mary on him any further. The two families spent several evenings a week together, having dinner and talking, Sam reading with Rory, letting Maura and Jack have “tummy time” together. It was strangely comfortable, and Dean was becoming more and more accustomed to the idea of having a brother, and he was surprised to find himself feeling more like a big brother to Sam every day. He chalked it up to his Omega instincts, always making him feel the need to protect and care for, but deep down he knew it was more than that.

Six weeks after Jack was born, Dean was also still experiencing the strange phenomenon with his body that he’d attributed to his pregnancy. His eyesight, his sense of smell...just heightened instincts altogether, were not only still present but appeared to be growing stronger. He mentioned it to Cas one more time, fully expecting him to dismiss it like he had in the past, but Cas had just nonchalantly changed the subject, looking slightly uncomfortable. Dean didn’t know what it was about, but he knew that Cas wouldn’t talk about anything until he was ready to, and so Dean decided he’d just wait it out.

Finally, on a restless and hot day, when Cas was busy with raising cabins and Rory was off swimming with many of the other pups under the watchful eyes of Donna and Jody, Dean decided it was time. He wasn’t sure what it was that brought him to that decision, but it was something in his gut that told him he had put it off long enough. He’d had many days and nights to think about the situation and decided, reluctantly, that Cas was right. Even if Mary didn’t necessarily deserve the chance to explain herself, Dean definitely deserved to know why.

He wrapped Jack in something light and set off towards her cabin, shoulders tense and jaw set. Jack seemed to sense the inner turmoil, or perhaps heard his rapidly beating heart, for he kept silent and occasionally nuzzled his mama’s neck, little hands gripping Dean’s shirt. 

Dean stepped onto the small porch and stared at the door, half hoping she wasn’t in and also hoping she was so they could get this over with. Then he mentally cursed himself, because that wasn’t the right attitude for this. Garth hold told him in a recent session that he needed to go in with an open mind, if not a forgiving one. 

Dean sighed, took a deep breath, and knocked softly. There was rustle behind the door before it swung open. Mary gasped and actually stepped back, as if expecting Dean to lunge at her. When he didn’t, she blinked and glanced behind him then down at her feet.

“Dean, um-”

“I came to talk to you,” Dean said, hoping she didn’t detect the slight tremble in his voice. “If...I mean, if that’s alright. I promise not to snarl at you this time. Maybe.”

She smiled briefly at his attempt at a joke and nodded, stepping aside. “Okay. Come on in.”

Dean clutched Jack a little tighter to his chest and stepped inside, looking around the quaint cabin. Not that there was far to look, anyway, and it was nothing he hadn’t already seen, considering all the cabins were essentially the same on the inside. He was given brief flashbacks to the time in his cabin, although most of it was spent miserably in the throes of heat, and he vaguely wondered what the current occupant of his thought of the bloodied scratches above the bed. 

Mary stepped past him to pull out a chair. “Here, Dean. Or, actually, if you’d be more comfortable, you can have the bed-”

“Chair’s fine,” he said gruffly, and Mary bowed her head and held her hand out to the chair before moving around him to the bed herself. He took a seat, sitting stiffly, and re-adjusted Jack so that he was cradled in his arms. The pup clutched at his shirt and looked up at him with big eyes, blinking as he adjusted to the dark of the cabin.

“He's getting big,” Mary said softly, laying her hands on her thighs. She tore her eyes away from Jack to look at Dean. “Mama's boy too, it seems.”

_ Of course,  _ **_his_ ** _ mom didn’t abandon him. _

Dean pushed the thought away, knowing it wasn’t fair and grateful it didn’t slip out of his mouth. That would not be a good way to start this.

“He never spends too long a time from my arms,” Dean murmured, looking down at the bundled up pup, who grinned up at him. Dean couldn’t help but smile back, remembering when he’d first seen Jack smile. It had only been a few days ago, during “tummy time”, when Dean had impulsively poked him on the nose. Jack had lit up, smiling that toothless grin and flailing his chubby arms around. 

“Good,” Mary said quietly, drawing Dean from his thoughts. “That’s where he belongs.” She paused and wrung her hands together. “It’s hard for a mother to let go of her-or his-pup.”

Dean looked up, clutching Jack to his chest even tighter than before, his lips trembling slightly. “Then why did you?”

Mary sagged, looking worn out and quite frankly ready to fall apart any second. “It wasn’t my choice,” she choked.

“But you still did, knowing I had no chance to survive.”

“I know,” she wiped at her eyes, hands shaking. “I’m not saying I deserve-or even want- forgiveness. I…” she took a breath, wiping at another tear, “I was very young and very scared. We didn’t all end up with a gentle Alpha like Castiel. John was...very controlling, to say the least.” She looked up at Dean, her eyes red, her cheeks damp, her knuckles white as she clenched and unclenched her fingers. 

“I wanted to keep you.” Her voice shook. “You were my baby and I loved you. I  _ fought _ to keep you, but John was stronger and I was smaller, weaker…”

Dean swallowed thickly, his eyes stinging as he squeezed them shut.

_ “Can you tell me?”  _ Cas had asked, a damp sponge in hand, Dean’s scars open and visible to him for the first time.

_ “Tried to fight him off,” _ Dean had answered, barely able to breathe,  _ “but he- I was too weak, small…” _

“It was already bad enough that I was a shifter and that you carried the gene,” Mary continued, shaking her head and wiping at her cheeks again as Dean’s eyes snapped open. “But when you presented Omega, he- he dragged me away-”

“You-” Dean’s voice choked and he swallowed, his heart hammering in his ears. “You’re a sh-shifter?”

Mary paused, her face crumbling in confusion. “Y-yes. You...you didn’t know that?”

“ _ No _ ,” Dean hissed, his mind reeling now, his eyes bouncing from Mary to Jack to the wall. 

“I’m so sorry, I-” she rubbed at her thighs nervously, “I would’ve thought Cas or- or Sam would have said something…”

“You would  _ think _ ,” Dean ground out, clenching his jaw and closing his eyes. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to process the new information. It was no wonder Cas had told him he needed to have this conversation. He wondered how long Cas had known, or if he’d known right away- or furthermore, if he could tell that Dean was a carrier of the shifter gene upon their meeting. He didn’t understand why  _ Cas  _ couldn’t have been the one to have this conversation with him.

He opened his eyes and looked down at Jack, who reached up to grab at his chin, cooing softly. If what Cas had told him about shifters and their genetics was true, then there was every possibility that their son could be a shifter. It was likely, even. Suddenly, all the strange pregnancy symptoms made sense, and Dean took a shuddering breath. Of course, that didn’t explain why they lingered behind, but he supposed there was some weird wolfy explanation for that too. 

He shook his head. As jarring as the confession was, he needed to know more. He came here at Cas’s request, but also because he needed to know why he had to grow up alone, why his family had left him for dead for no other reason than the fact he was Omega.

“Should we...I can...I mean, we can talk about this later-” Mary stammered, fidgeting nervously.

“No,” Dean said quickly, swallowing hard and looking back up at her. “It’s...just a bit of a shock, is all. I didn’t...I didn’t know...about you, or...that I was a…”

Mary nodded solemnly. “I’m a pureblood shifter, and John was a carrier. It’s in your blood, and it’s in Sam’s.”

Dean chewed his lip, reaching up to take Jack’s little hand, smiling slightly when the pup grabbed it with surprising strength and pulled it to his mouth, drawing a finger inside and attempting to bite it. Missouri said it was far too early for him to be teething, but suddenly it was obvious to Dean why their son was so obsessed with trying to bite so early; it was an instinct, only made stronger by his father’s blood.

“How…” Dean looked up at her again, shaking his head, “John was a carrier, and hated his own kind?”

“There was a time when purebloods- shifters- were seen as threats to Alphas,” Mary began, reiterating what Cas had briefly covered with him before. “We were hunted, because other Alphas felt that their superiority was being threatened. We were a minority at this time. We were killed, or kept as attack dogs, or in some cases…” she paused, drawing in a breath, “trophies. Mated and bred as an act of dominance, more than anything. A way for non-shifters to exercise control over us.”

“So you were...forced to mate with John,” Dean said slowly, his gut twisting at the thought.

“It wasn’t my choice, no…” Mary muttered, eyes downcast. “My parents were gone, had been for a long time. He got me when I still very young, and weak from trying to hide...live on my own after my parents were hunted down.”

Dean sucked in a breath and looked away, blinking away the images of his past. 

“I had mistakenly trusted him when we first met,” Mary scoffed at herself. “I smelled the carrier gene and thought he’d be sympathetic. He...forced a mating on me. But...I learned quickly he was ashamed of his carrier genetics, blamed it for his mother’s death. She had died giving birth to him, as many Omegas do. He, like many other non-shifters, wanted the wolves extinct. And, well...as you may know it’s difficult for an Omega to disobey his or her Alpha. Almost physically impossible, no matter how awful he treats you. I still tried...I screamed and clawed when he decided to leave you, but he had kept me weak enough to be unable to shift safely. And...I was… pregnant. With Sam… at that point.” She took a shaky breath. “He took you away and I...I couldn’t get to you. Then when he...returned...without you, I…” she shook her head and looked down, her features screwed up as she tried to keep herself from crying. “He told me you were dead. He made me believe you were gone, so I wouldn’t bother looking.”

Dean wiped at his eyes, realizing he was crying, and shook his head. “I’m...I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I had no idea. Sam...he had said John had been a cruel man, but I didn’t realize he…”

“It’s no excuse,” Mary said with quiet rage, the anger directed at herself. “I can never repent for leaving you, Dean. For not being there to protect you when...I never wanted that to happen to you. I haven’t slept since I saw your scars, knowing…” her voice cracked and she covered her mouth with a shaking hand, “knowing what that Alpha did to you...knowing it was my fault he even found you, alone and unprotected.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Dean couldn’t believe he heard himself say it, but he knew that he believed it.

“In the end, it was,” Mary said sadly, shaking her head. She closed her eyes tightly and tears ran down her cheeks, and she wiped them away quickly before looking back up at Dean. “I will never forgive myself for that. I’ll never forgive myself for what happened to you, because of me.” She sniffed, tilting her head at him and giving him a sad smile. “You were my little boy, Dean. My baby. And I just...I want you to know now, even though it’s too late, that I loved you, very much. I always did. I still do.”

Dean swallowed and looked down at Jack, blinking through tears. It was such a strange thing to hear from someone he never really knew, but something in him knew he’d needed to hear it. For as much as he wanted to hate her for leaving him, he still wanted to know that she loved him, through it all.

Not knowing what to say to that, unable to really return the words, Dean simply nodded and focused his attention on Jack. The pup grabbed his chin and Dean ducked his head, smiling when Jack smeared the tears on his cheek around. He liked to think the pup was trying to wipe them away.

“Where…” Dean cleared his throat after a while, glancing back up at her, “is he now? John?”

Mary shrugged and looked out the window. “I haven’t a clue. Sam challenged him for the Alpha position and won, and John took off. Haven’t seen him since. Sam keeps a close eye out, though. John could very well come back and try to reclaim me. With Sam around, he won’t be able to.”

Dean nodded in understanding. It had been one of the factors that ultimately made Cas put his foot down when Dean demanded she stay behind. Dean felt ashamed of himself now, but he rationed he hadn’t known what he should have. And while knowing the story behind his abandonment gave him a better understanding, the anger and pain from it was hardly gone. He wasn’t sure forgiveness would ever be possible, but acceptance was certainly reachable now. 

Though he had a few choice words for Cas now.

Mary looked over at him and sighed, her eyes red and glassy. “I am… so sorry, Dean. I don't expect you to forgive any of it. Lord knows I don't. But...I just needed you to know, I never wanted that. I wanted a good life for you. I wanted…” she looked around the room and back down at Jack, smiling softly when her eyes landed on him. “I wanted for you what you were strong enough to find on your own.”

Dean nodded absently, quirking a small smile down at his pup. Even after everything, even through the pain and suffering and residual anger, he was lucky to have what he had now. And he did it- as Cas always said- all on his own. 

“I...appreciate you telling me,” Dean said slowly, unsure of what else he could say in that moment. “It doesn’t fix anything but...it does help.” He took Jack’s little hand again and pressed his lips to it, moving it back and forth when Jack wrapped his fingers around his thumb. 

“Well, at least I can do that much,” Mary sighed, watching them with a sad smile. “I was happy to hear you had and him had a healthy birth. I was worried, even though I knew you were plenty healthy and strong.”

“It was, um, tough,” Dean shrugged, not taking his eyes off Jack. “But could have been a lot worse. And he’s completely worth it.”

Mary nodded, smile widening. “You’re beautiful with him. It’s no wonder Cas talks about you like you hung the moon.”

Dean blushed heavily. He would always feel awkward about Cas bragging about him. “Dunno about that,” he mumbled quietly. 

Mary huffed a small laugh. “Trust me, he does. It’s almost nauseating, but Sam is actually worse about Eileen so I’m getting used to it.”

Dean had to agree with that. Sam was a love sick puppy for his mate. He supposed there were worse things, though.

“I...should get back,” Dean said after a moment’s pause, standing from the chair. “Before he starts fussing for his lunch. Greedy thing.”

“A fat pup is a healthy pup,” Mary shrugged and stood as well. “It’s if they stop eating that should worry you. Means they’re sick or in pain.”

Dean nodded, logging the information away. 

Mary offered a quick smile and opened the door for him, tugging at the edge of her shirt. “Thank you, Dean. For listening.”

Dean bit his lip and nodded once, sighing as he stepped outside and the door closed behind him. He had even more to think about now than before. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! Lauren here :) Sydney is not feeling well, so I'm here to give y'all the next chapter! It's got angst, fluff, and a very healthy dose of smut. Also, we are nearing the end! We probably have about 2 chapters to go (with epilogue), and a time stamp later on. Thank so much for reading!

“I don’t understand how that’s _not_ something you think you’d need to tell me!”

“It was not my place to-”

“You are my _mate_ , Cas! And you knew about her, this whole time-”

“I _didn’t.”_ Cas huffed and put his hands on his hips. “It’s true, when I met her, yes, I knew then. But I didn’t know your mother was a shifter before then.”

“She said she could smell it, smell that John was a carrier-”

The argument was interrupted by Jack’s shrill cries from the crib, and Dean looked over briefly before rounding on Cas again. He took a step toward him, drawing himself to his full height, which actually had him looking down slightly at the Alpha. Cas hung his head submissively. “I told you, Cas, I told you I didn’t want to do this here and now and you just kept _pushing_ , you can never just let things go until _I’m_ ready to talk about them.”

Cas said nothing, so Dean tore himself away from him to cross the room and check on Jack, pulling him from the crib. He bounced him gently in his arms, his screams quickly reduced to small dejected sounds of displeasure. Cas took a step toward them, speaking softly.

“I didn’t know what I smelled on you, Dean. Your genes… they'd been long dormant. Not being around your family, _people_ , in general. But once I found out about your mother...I knew that wasn't my place. None of that was my place to tell you.”

“Mama? Papa?”

They both turned to the sound. Rory’s hand was curled around the doorframe to her room, her face half-hidden.

“Why are you fighting?”

“We’re not-” Cas sighed and went over to her, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands. “Baby, we’re not fighting. It’s just a misunderstanding. Okay?” He kissed her hands and pulled her close, kissing her forehead. “I’m sorry if we scared you.”

She nodded, but looked past Cas, her blue eyes wide and glassy. “You won’t leave, will you, Mama?”

Cas didn’t turn, just hung his head between his shoulders again.

“No, baby,” Dean said, rubbing Jack’s back as he crossed the room to them. Cas stood and took Jack without a word, and Dean drew Rory into his arms, giving her a hug and a kiss. “I would never leave you. Ever.” She pressed her face into his neck and scented him, and Dean looked over her shoulder at Cas. “I would never leave any of you.”

“Promise?” Rory mumbled into his neck, pressing closer.

“Yeah, baby, I promise,” Dean said, looking back down at her. “I’m sorry we scared you. Go back to bed, okay? It’s late.”

She nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek, then ran to her papa and hugged him around the legs. Cas smiled and used his free hand to ruffle her hair before she pulled away and slipped back into her room. Once the door was shut Dean sighed heavily and rubbed at his tired eyes.

“I wasn’t sure of anything, Dean,” Cas spoke quietly, glancing at Rory’s door, bouncing Jack in his arms. “I told you, remember? How you smelled familiar? It was the truth; that was all I knew at the time. I _suspected_ that maybe, possibly, in my wildest dreams, you could be a carrier. But it was wishful thinking and without knowing who your parents were...I just didn’t think it prudent to risk frightening you over something that may have not been true.”

“Alright, fine, I get that,” Dean waved his hand then let it drop to his side with a _slap._ “But you knew that Mary was a shifter the moment you met her. And then when we realized she was my mother...you just decided to keep this information to yourself.”

“Dean,” Cas said exasperatedly. “It needed to come from her. She is _your_ bloodline and you two _needed_ to have that conversation. It was not my place to-”

“Cas, it is _always_ your place,” Dean huffed, holding out his arms when Jack began to fuss again. Cas wordlessly handed him over and Dean held him close to his chest, rocking him back and forth. “You’re my _Alpha_. And a shifter on top of that. If you knew I was carrier, it’s your right to tell me. I carry your mark on my neck and that outweighs every other relationship I have.”

“I’m sorry, Omega,” Cas murmured, his eyes downturned and his head hanging slightly. “I truly thought I was doing what you would’ve wanted...I thought you would rather hear it from a family member.”

“ _You_ are my family,” Dean huffed impatiently. “I barely know that woman. Of course I would rather hear it from you.”

Cas slowly ran his tongue over his bottom lip, his brow furrowed. “I’m finding it difficult...to determine the amount of control you want me to force you to adhere to, Dean. I’ve been very adamant about the fact that you are not my property in any way, that you have free will to make your own choices, which I was under the impression you appreciated.”

“Well, you certainly didn’t have any problems telling me what I can’t do in regard to having sex with my _mate!”_ Dean hissed back, his voice lowered to avoid waking Rory again.

“When it comes to a question your _safety_ , yes, I will always put my foot down and make the decisions.” Cas snapped back. “I won’t apologize for doing what I think is best to ensure your health. What I’m _saying_ is...we need to set parameters, here. Do you want me deciding for you, or not? Because right now, I’m not sure what it is you want, and it’s making this between us much more difficult than it needs to be.”

“I just…” Dean sighed, letting his head fall back and closing his eyes. Jack still fussed quietly in his arms, mostly little sniffles or irritated grunts, and Dean ran his hand over his back to try to quiet him again. “Big things like this? Don’t keep them from me. That’s what all of it comes down to, Cas. I get where you’re coming from, thinking it would be best to hear it from Mary. I mean...honestly, had you told me about her shifting, I probably never would’ve talked to her myself. I probably never would’ve found out all I did about my past, and-” he half rolled his eyes and sighed again, “I guess for that, I can thank you, for doing what you did. But it doesn’t change the fact that you should’ve been the one to tell me about this. I had the right to know that our son could potentially shift. Would’ve been...a bit of a shock to find a little black wolf pup in place of where my baby once was.”

Cas looked up through his lashes and quirked a smile. “Would’ve been something though, wouldn’t it?”

“Cas, I swear to God-”

“Okay, okay,” Cas stepped forward, holding his hands up. “I’m sorry, Omega. I truly, _truly_ am. I screwed up. From now on...complete transparency. And you can make your own decisions based on that.”

Dean eyed him for a moment then nodded, shoulders suddenly sagging with exhaustion. He plopped down onto the futon, bouncing Jack gently, and leaned back to close his eyes. Cas joined him seconds later, sitting close and running fingers through Dean’s hair.

“Hey,” Cas murmured, nuzzling his cheek.

“Hm?”

“Am I...allowed to be excited?” Cas asked hesitantly.

Dean cracked open an eye and raised an eyebrow. Cas shrugged and looked down.

“Just mean,” he cleared his throat. “You being a carrier. We’re... _you_ aren’t unhappy about that, are you? Because I’m very much _not_ unhappy about it.”

Dean blinked then smiled softly, shifting to lean back against Cas’s chest, sitting in between his legs. “Was never upset about being a carrier,” he said quietly as Cas wrapped his arms around him. “It actually answers a lot of questions. And it just makes us...closer. I could never be _unhappy_ about that.”

Cas smiled and nuzzled his hair, watching as Jack finally began to settle, his little displeased noises quieting. “I’m very glad to hear you say that,” he sighed, nosing along Dean’s neck. “Truly, I never thought I would find another carrier like you. You come from a pureblood _and_ a carrier, which makes your carrier genetics stronger than most nowadays. You even had a strong chance at being a shifter. It’s incredibly rare to find one like you and now we have Sam as well. It just makes me very...hopeful.”

“Hopeful we can help save the shifters?”

“Mmm. In time, yes.”

Dean smiled again and rubbed Jack’s back. “So...how much of a chance did I even have? How much does Jack have?”

“About fifty fifty for offspring between a pureblood and a carrier, but he’ll at least carry the gene. Offspring between a carrier and someone who doesn’t carry the gene at all won’t be able to shift, but they have a small chance of carrying the gene. So Maura...she could potentially be a carrier. We won’t know until she’s a little older and the genes would have a chance to develop.” Cas scented him deeply and started massaging his shoulders.

“So how...how does my being a carrier affect-”

“The chase?”

Dean swallowed, a shiver of excitement or fear running through him...he couldn’t be sure which. “Yeah.”

Cas sighed. “What have you heard, exactly?”

“Missouri just said…” Dean cleared his throat, “that according to the lore, that’s the only way that a human could possibly carry a whole litter of shifter pups. For some reason it’s more likely for more...um. More of the sperm to take. Cause the seed is stronger in that form, or something.”

“Yes...but that’s not all of it.” Cas paused, then pressed a soft kiss to Dean’s neck, and reached around to rub Jack’s head. “The seed is stronger in wolf form, yes. But the instincts and pheromones released during the chase are also the cause for release of extra eggs, which- supposedly- makes for a greater risk of multiples. It’s as close to two wolves mating as possible, at this point, but I’ve never actually... _seen_ it. Just heard the stories. I don’t know if it’s true. But just in case… it needs to be something you take into account. It was possible with you as a human Omega, but it’s even more so now with you being a carrier.”

Dean was quiet for awhile, taking it all in. He looked down at Jack. “So do you think maybe...since I’m a carrier, that it’s _possible_ I’m not imagining all the weird stuff with my body?”

Cas clicked his tongue softly. “I suppose it’s not impossible that Jack’s effect on your dormant genes heightened some of your senses-”

“No,” Dean said firmly, pushing his head back against Cas’s chest and looking up at him, “I mean, now. Like, is it possible he changed them enough to make them stay this way?”

Cas opened his mouth to speak and firmly shut it again, frowning slightly. “It’s still happening?”

“Never went away,” Dean shook his head and chewed on his lip, searching Cas’s face. “Sometimes I think they’re even stronger. Like they’re still _growing_ or something.” He shrugged and looked down at Jack. “That’s probably just my imagination, but the eyesight…the sense of smell. It’s all still there, way more heightened than it was before I became pregnant. I swear sometimes I can hear your heart beating from across the room. And my weird cravings I got while I was pregnant never went away. Still want meat all the time.”

Cas tilted his head and chewed on the inside of his cheek. “The meat thing could just be your body needing the protein after giving birth…” he murmured, though he didn’t look too convinced.

Dean shrugged. “Whatever it is, I don’t think it’s going away.”

Cas began to nuzzle Dean’s cheek again. “Are you still mad at me, Omega?”

Dean hummed. “Depends.”

“On?”

He settled back against Cas’s chest and closed his eyes. “If you’re gonna chase me down and knot me with that big Alpha wolf cock.” He smirked when he heard Cas’s sharp intake of breath, purring softly as his hands dipped below his stomach, one sliding slowly to the inside of his thigh.

“You still want that.”

“Yes. And given our earlier conversation, I’ll save you the trouble of worrying about my safety. I want this. And if being knotted by you is what kills me, then I win.” Dean shrugged, smirking. “And what a way to go.”

There was no sound from Cas other than slightly unsteady breathing, then his hand slid up his thigh to palm his cock through his jeans. Dean cracked an eye open and looked up at Cas, seeing the Alpha’s eyes closed, his head inclined slightly upwards, nostrils flaring.

“Cas? What’s-”

“I think…” Cas said slowly, “out of respect for the lore and its potential for correctness, we may want to hold off awhile on that.” He opened his eyes and looked down at Dean, nostrils flaring again, and swallowed hard. “Your heat will be here soon, my Omega.”

Dean blinked, momentarily forgetting about chases and shifter genes, and feeling a familiar ping of panic in his chest. He easily pushed it away with a silent reminder to himself that he didn’t have to fear his heats anymore. He hadn't even thought about his heat since getting pregnant, hadn’t felt the signs.

“Are you sure?” Dean murmured and looked down at himself as if it’d be written out across his shirt. Not that he could read it if it was.

“Yes,” Cas licked his lips and swallowed hard. “Yes, I can...mmm, I can smell it.”

Dean shifted and looked back up at Cas, tilting his head. “Well, maybe that’s the perfect time, then. We can-“

“No, Dean,” Cas shook his head, nostrils flaring again. “I was already apprehensive enough. With you in heat, when it's been so long... I could lose control completely. And we are certainly in no position to raise a litter if the lore proves true.”

Dean frowned and looked down at Jack, and had to agree with Cas. It wouldn’t be wise to push their luck. As much as he wanted to experience a real Chase, as much as his inner Omega wanted to feel that thrill of the hunt, he was not currently in any shape to grow a litter. Jack still had months before he was off breastfeeding, and Cas was right...adding his heat into the mix at present would make things unnecessarily dangerous for him.

“Thought you wanted a litter,” Dean teased, trying to lighten the mood again.

“Oh, I _do_ ,” Cas said, and Dean could hear his smile. “I just think we should perhaps wait awhile for our practically newborn son to get just a tiny bit more self-sufficient before we fill an already too small cabin with several more little beings.”

“If I don’t get pregnant during one of my regular heats first,” Dean pointed out with a grin, and Cas chuckled.

“True. Would you prefer I stayed away?”

“...no.”

“I could always pull out instead of knotting you-”

“Don’t you _dare_.”

Cas laughed, burying his face into Dean’s neck and inhaling deeply as he rubbed his palm against Dean’s cock again, causing the Omega to arch into the touch with a soft gasp. He looked down at Jack, finding him sleeping soundly with his cheek pressed against his chest. Dean sighed and dropped his head back again, canting his hips upward.

“Been too long since you’ve touched me like this.”

“I have to disagree,” Cas said easily, giving his cock a squeeze through his jeans. “I had my tongue buried in your sweet little hole just last night. I recall licking a mess off your cock- what was it? Three times?”

Dean’s face reddened and he cleared his throat, his cock twitching at the filth that seems to come out of Cas’s mouth so readily. Then again, he’d just been talking about having big wolf cock so maybe Cas was starting to rub off on him.

“Y-yeah, but-” he coughed and shifted Jack, thinking it might be strange to be doing this with the pup still in his arms. “We haven’t had time to really...you know, enjoy each other. Last night was so rushed...even if you _did_ make me come twice.”

 “Mmm, I’m pretty sure it was three.”

    Dean rolled his eyes at the ridiculous Alpha pride. “Last one barely counted. I, um, don’t have the _volume_ that you do. Omegas don’t get to come all night like Alphas.”

    “We hardly come all night,” Cas scoffed, working Dean’s buttons open.

    “You do when you’re in rut.”

    “Well, I didn’t hear you complaining during my rut. In fact, I’m pretty sure you were too busying moaning to complain.”

    Dean scoffed, but didn’t argue. He wasn’t exactly wrong.

    Cas patted his arm gently. “Sit up for me.”

    Dean obliged, and Cas stood slowly to keep from jostling the two of them, then gently pried Jack off his chest and cradled him to his own. He walked him over to the crib, holding his head as he laid him down, and Jack kicked a leg once before going still again.

    “He never ate-”

    “He will wake us when he’s hungry,” Cas said calmly as he crossed back over to him, slipping his shirt over his head and dropping it to the floor. He sat back down, pulling Dean up and onto him, gripping his hips as Dean settled into his lap. Dean raised a brow.

    Cas shrugged slightly. “I hope I’m not being too presumptuous, Omega, but before I take you to bed, I really just...need you to touch me.”

    Dean quirked a smile. “I can do that.”

    “Good.”

    Dean laid his hands on Cas’s stomach, sliding them up to the flat planes of his chest, to his shoulders, and out across his arms. Cas sighed and closed his eyes, letting his head fall back against the wall.

    “You okay, Cas?”

    Cas hummed, a few more moments passing before he spoke. “I’m great, Omega. Just...with you getting ready to go back into heat, there’s a lot of...energy that needs controlling. Physical, emotional. Just needed to relax a bit.” He lifted his head, smiling slightly. “Funny how you’re the only one who seems to be able to relax me, when it’s your fault I’m so bothered in the first place.”

    “I’m sorry,” Dean said sincerely, working his thumbs into Cas’s shoulders.

    Cas frowned and grabbed one of Dean’s wrists. “Why?”

    Dean shrugged and looked down at their laps, chewing the inside of his cheek. “I just...seem to cause you a lot of stress. My heats, the pregnancy, the Omega ring situation...and if you really don’t want to do the chase, we won’t.” He glanced back up, a worried frown on his face. “I feel like the subject has gotten out of control, when all I wanted was to just let you know I was open to it. If it was something you wanted or needed…”

    “Dean,” Cas brought his hand to his lips, kissing his knuckles, blue eyes locked onto green. “First of all, you don’t cause me anymore stress than any other mate would. It’s part of being in a relationship. I realize you don’t have much experience, but I want to assure you that fighting or misunderstandings happen with any couple.” He tilted his head and let Dean’s finger splay across neck. “Your heats are natural and as an Alpha, I’m perfectly equipped to take care of you during them. Pregnancy is always stressful, none of that was purely your doing. As for the Omega ring...that was rough on both of us. On everyone.”

    Cas leaned back, dropping his hand, and sighing as Dean continued to touch and pet and massage. “The chase...did you know it was a shifter tradition?”

    Dean shook his head. “No...I don’t really know much about it. Just that it was something Alphas and Omegas did.”

    Cas nodded and hummed thoughtfully, his hands sliding up Dean’s thighs. “In simple terms, yes. It was a ritual of sorts. Symbolizing the relationship between an Alpha and his Omega. The Alpha chases and hunts down the Omega, showing his strength and skill and stamina. The Omega guides his Alpha, running and hiding, teasing and keeping just out of reach. It shows his bravery, his ability to gently control the Alpha even in the face of Alpha’s wild nature. Then, only when the Omega has decided the Alpha has earned it, he lets the Alpha catch him. They may wrestle briefly, but the Omega eventually submits willingly, showing that even if the Alpha is dominant the Omega has final say in whether or not they choose to be submissive.”

    Dean’s hands stilled on Cas’s shoulders, and Cas looked up at him. Dean chewed his bottom lip, finally letting it slide between his teeth.

    “Omegas...have the control.”

    “Yes.”

    Dean frowned. “But that’s-”

    “It’s what I advocate for,” Cas said. “It’s everything that some- well, a good majority- of the non-shifting Alphas hate the idea of. They hate that even while Alphas are what one would consider most dominant, shifting lore constitutes that they give their Omegas overall control. But it’s the way it always was, and it’s the way it should be. Alphas being able to recognize their strength and that giving it up isn’t a sign of weakness, just a sign of loyalty and dedication to their mate. So,” he slid his hands up to Dean’s face, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs, “while I would _love_ the chase- and even despite all my argument about it before- in the end, it is _your_ decision. And I’m going to take my advice, and follow what I preach, and respect my ancestors, by submitting to whatever you decide to do.”

Dean let out a breath. “So all that you always told me before, about making my own decisions-”

“Wasn’t just arcane, profound bullshit,” Cas grinned. “It’s a part of our history, a part of our roots, that I’m so desperately trying to get us back to.”

Dean nodded thoughtfully and resumed his massaging, lost in his own thoughts as he worked his hands up and down Cas’s torso. The Alpha relaxed under the attention, letting Dean sort whatever he needed to sort out in his head, and closed his eyes. They were quiet for some time, and thankfully so was Jack, until Cas pulled him down by the back of his neck for a slow, deep kiss that left Dean a little breathless.

“I’m ready for bed now,” Cas murmured against his lips and Dean nodded, rubbing his cheek against Alpha’s scruffy chin.

Dean climbed off Cas’s lap and went willingly when the Alpha tugged him towards the bed. They crawled in, Dean casting one last glance at the silent crib, and immediately tangled themselves into each other.

\----

    Dean woke again when the sun was already up and Jack had just begun to stir, making irritable sounds that would soon turn into cries of hunger. He knew immediately that Cas was no longer in the bed with him, due to the lack of radiating heat from behind him. He was sleeping on his stomach, turned away from the window and Jack’s crib. He blinked a few times, his face pressed into the pillow, his head pounding, the bedside table and the glass of water Cas had left for him in his immediate line of vision.

    Jack whimpered and Dean sniffed loudly, groaning as he rolled over to his back. The heat wasn’t quite upon him yet, but it was creeping up pretty quickly. He reached over to the table, for the damp rag that he’d known Cas left for him as well, and laid it across his forehead. It was slightly cool and felt good against the dull, burning ache.

    It wasn’t until Jack’s discontent morphed into full blown unhappiness that Dean finally pulled himself up, chugging half the glass of water before getting to his feet. He lifted Jack out of the crib and held him to his chest, long past needing to guide him to the nipple. He held him with one arm across his body and cradled his head as Jack latched and began to suckle, and Dean walked over to the kitchen in search of his own food, rubbing his eyes with his free hand.

    Rory’s door was wide open but the room was empty, and Dean assumed that- with it likely being the last day before his cycle was in full swing- Cas had taken her out for a day at the lake before she had to go to Charlie’s for a few days. With her scenting now, it was best for her to get away from it all until Cas deemed it a good time to actually explain all the workings of heats and ruts to her. And considering Cas’s rut would potentially- _likely_ \- be triggered by Dean’s heat again, now was _definitely_ not a good time for a biology lesson.

Dean managed to track down some leftovers from last night’s dinner, chewing on some salted meat as he paced around the cabin restlessly. His body felt sluggish and overheated, all normal signs for an impending heat. He stopped by the window and placed his cheek on the glass, enjoying the brief coolness of it as he listened to Jack’s gentle suckling. He watched with fuzzy eyes as people meandered through the camp, and Betas worked alongside with Sam to raise cabins. It took Dean a moment to realize that Missouri was making her way up the hill, basket full of food in hand, and Dean shook his head in amusement. Trust her to take time away from her busy schedule to make sure he had plenty of food.

She waved at him through the window and Dean smiled, crossing the room to open the door for her.

“Hey, sugar,” she patted his arms and stepped inside. “Thought I’d come check on you. You should be going into heat soon.”

Dean nodded and closed the door, adjusting Jack in his arm. “Matter of hours, I think. By tonight for sure.”

Missouri grunted and sat the basket down on the table. “Won’t be too bad. First heat after a birth is always shorter.” She started putting the food away, shaking her head at the nearly empty cupboards and muttering about having a word with Cas about keeping his Omega fed. “And anyway, it barely counts as a heat.”

Dean raised a brow. “Why is that?”

“Well,” she shrugged, “It’s mostly to get your hormones back in order. Get your body back on schedule. Probably the lowest fertility rate you’ll have during a heat, too, since your body knows it just had a pup. I won’t say it’s _impossible_ to get pregnant, but it’s your slimmest chance of it.”

Dean breathed a sigh of relief and Missouri chuckled.

“What, you mean you ain’t ready for another yet?”

“I don’t think either of us are,” Dean smiled down at Jack. “He’s great and all, but I’m tired. And it’s nice to finally have my body back. So yeah, it’s good to know I can indulge a little in my heat and not really have to worry.”

Missouri nodded and finished putting the last of the food away, closing one of the cabinets and brushing her hands together as she crossed over to the futon, sinking down into it with a sigh.

“I tell ya,” she said tiredly, “it sure is nice to finally have some extra help down there. Still a lot of work, what with all the pregnancies and sickness, but it’s a lot easier to handle now.”

“You gonna be okay for the next couple of days without Charlie?”

“Oh yeah, baby, don’t you worry,” Missouri waved a hand. “Dorothy knows just ‘bout as much as I do. We can handle things for a few days while she watches Rory. I think she’s pretty excited about it, anyway. Hasn’t been able to spend much time with the little thing in so long.” She rubbed her hands along her thighs and smiled up at him. “Although...and you didn’t hear it from me...I ‘spect I’ll still be seein’ quite a bit of her. Seems she might have developed a bit of a crush.”

Dean raised a brow. “ _Charlie?_ On who?”

“Well, Dorothy, of course. Cute little thing. Our Charlie seems quite smitten. Never seen her quite so taken with anyone before.”

“But...two Omegas?”

Missouri shrugged. “It’s not unheard of. They can’t reproduce, but there’s nothin’ sayin’ they can’t fall in love.”

“Well, I’m happy for her,” Dean said, and he smiled. “She deserves it.”

“That she does,” Missouri agreed, then patted the futon next to her. “Come sit next to me and tell me what’s on your mind, sugar.”

Dean frowned, chewing his lip. “How did you-”

“Mama Missouri knows everything. Now. Come talk to me. And as soon as that baby gets his belly full, you hand him over to me. Ain’t seen him in over a week.”

Dean didn’t dare argue with her and sighed as he sat down, leaning back and holding Jack against his chest. “Not really a big deal,” he muttered, looking down at his pup and fighting back a blush. “Cas and I have been... _discussing_ the, um, chase.”

“Mmhm,” Missouri hummed, not looking the least bit surprised. Dean almost rolled his eyes. How she literally knew everything was beyond him.

“I’m a little surprised you even know what the chase is,” she smiled as Dean handed Jack over, the pup gurgling happily at his now fully belly. She tucked him up against her chest and bounced him lightly.

Dean shrugged and tugged his shirt down. “I’d heard about it before, but Cas explained a little more about what it really is. Or was, I guess.”

“And it doesn’t scare you,” Missouri said. It wasn’t question.

“No,” Dean shook his head. “Guess it should, but it feels natural. Like it’s just...a part of me.”

“Well, it’s a shifter instinct,” Missouri shrugged a shoulder. “And from what I hear, you carry the gene. Could just be those old instincts waking up. Makes sense, being mated to an Alpha shifter and all.”

Dean narrowed his eyes and smiled with a huff. “You already knew I had the gene, didn’t you?”

Missouri chuckled and shook her head. “ _Know_ is a strong word. More like...suspected. You just had that look, that scent...and the way Cas reacted to you when you first got here. Didn’t take a genius to figure it out.” She laid her cheek against the top of Jack’s head, patting his back gently.

“Woulda been nice if someone could’ve clued me in on all this stuff they expected about me,” Dean grumped, and Missouri chuckled. They shared silence for a few moments before she spoke again.

“And if the lore turns out to be true…?”

Dean shrugged. “Cas is insistent on not doing it during a heat. At least, not yet.”

“Right. Smart, but...you don’t necessarily have to be in heat to get pregnant either, baby. ‘Specially that way, I’d imagine.”

“I know, but…” he took a deep breath and sighed, looking out the window, his face beginning to redden. “I just feel like...it wouldn’t necessarily be...a _bad_ thing.”

There was a pause. “We talkin’ bout the same thing?”

“Yeah.” Dean steeled himself and turned back to her, nodding slightly. “I just mean...when the time is right for us to...have another, I don’t think I’d mind having more than one.” He shrugged again. “If that’s what happened. If I...if I could.”

Missouri looked at him thoughtfully for a moment then hummed to herself, wiggling her finger at Jack until he grabbed it tightly and immediately began chewing.

“It’s hard on the body,” she finally said. “Omegas...well, we ain’t what we used to be. I’m sure Cas has told you some of this already, but we’re not as strong as we once were. There was a time when holding a litter would be normal. Purebloods did it all the time without complications. But our gene pool is too watered down now. Without shifters to give us litters, our bodies-”

“Undercompensated,” Dean murmured and Missouri nodded with a sigh.

“Exactly. Take me for example,” she looked up a him and smiled a bit sadly. “I had my pup and my body ain’t been right ever since. Damn nearly killed me to have him, too. Long and short of it is, my heats dried up and I stopped producing eggs.”

Dean’s eyes widened and he couldn’t believe he’d never questioned it before, why Missouri never had heats. Her Omega scent was subtle, nothing potent like it normally should be.

“You...you never mentioned-”

She waved her hand at him. “Oh, shush now. I don’t worry about it and neither should you, sugar. Dont’ go feelin’ guilty now. It upset me for a while, but no heats meant I was free to do what I was meant to do. Help Omegas like you.”

Dean didn’t know what possessed him to do it, but he leaned over and laid his head on Missouri’s shoulder. She moved Jack to her other shoulder and pulled him in close, resting her chin on the top of his head.

“Thank you, Missouri,” Dean murmured softly. “For all you’ve done for me. For all of us. You’re the closest thing to a mother I’ve ever had.”

He heard her swallow but she didn’t say anything, and blessedly didn’t point out the fact that his real mother was now here at the same camp as him. She squeezed him tight and kissed the top of his head.

“Now,” she said finally, her voice a little hoarse, “if you’re keen on carryin’ yourself a litter, there are things I can do to help you prepare...physically. Obviously, there’s no manual for that kind of thing, and I dunno that any of it’ll actually make a lick of difference, but it can’t hurt.”

Dean sat up and eyed her curiously. “You...you think I can do it?”

“I think if anyone can do it, it’s you,” she said confidently. “Ever since you got here, everything you’ve done, you’ve surpassed all my expectations. You’re- quite frankly- the strongest Omega I’ve ever seen. And now, with all this comin’ out, about your genetics and after seein’ Mary in my cabin a few times myself…” Missouri shrugged, “I can’t think of a better Omega to attempt to save the species. That is, of course, if you’re not only doin’ it because you think it’s the only way-”

“No,” Dean said quickly, surprising himself. “No. Missouri, I...for the longest time, I thought I was only good as a breeding hole. I thought that’s the only thing Alphas wanted from me, that’s all I was good for, made for. And while a part of me does feel like I was made for it...it’s not because I _have_ to be. Cas would love me, would want me, even if I didn’t want to have pups. He loves me for _me_ , and not what I can do for him. And I...I just really love being a mom.” He smiled down at his pup, who was clutching tightly to Missouri’s shirt even as his eyes drooped heavily. “I have a lot to offer. More than being a mate, or being a mom. But I enjoy those things about myself the most.”

Missouri blinked rapidly and smiled, warm and soft, pulling Dean towards her to kiss him on the cheek. “You’ve grown so much, baby,” she said tenderly. “Come so far. You make me so proud. I remember what shape you were in when you got here. So skinny I could see your ribs, barely strong enough to stand...so skittish you would barely speak. I’m not supposed to have favorites, you know, but you are mine.” She squeezed his hand and looked him dead in the eye. “You really are like a son to me. I know your mama is here and I know there’s some bad blood there, but no matter what happens between you and her I want you to know I’m always here for you.”

Dean swallowed and mentally cursed that he couldn’t blame his stupid tears on the pregnancy anymore. “Thank you…” he murmured, wiping quickly at his eyes. “Um, wh-what...what were some of the things I could do to prepare…?”

“Well...I’m gonna assume you two are gonna wait a bit for that?” She inclined her head toward Jack.

Dean nodded.

“Well then, ain’t no rush, baby. You got plenty of years left in you, anyway.” She reached up and brushed a few tears off Dean’s cheek. “But when that time comes, we can focus on a good diet and exercise regimen. Not that you’re not in good shape now, but...it’s gonna be somethin’ I imagine to be quite taxing on the body. You’ll need to strengthen your legs for sure, for your own comfort, if nothin’ else. And I’ll need to have you on a very high protein diet. Lots of eggs, lots of meat.”

“Soundin’ better and better,” Dean joked.

Missouri laughed and took a look around the cabin. “And I imagine you’ll need a bigger place to put all those pups.”

Dean followed her gaze. “Yeah.”

“And I s’pose I better start teachin’ those girls all I know, cause I’m gonna need to retire to come on up here and help you care for ‘em all.”

Dean almost laughed, but a look at Missouri’s face told him she wasn’t joking. She nodded solemnly and looked down at Jack, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

“W-what?”

Missouri raised her eyebrows and looked over at him, then flapped a hand dismissively in his direction. “Aw, it ain’t nothin’ to it, baby. Truth of the matter is, I’m gettin’ too old to keep goin’ on down there the way I am. Charlie’s a fast learner and Dorothy can do just about all I can already. A few months’ time, I think we can get others in there to learn, too. I ain’t got too many good years left in me no way. Can’t think of a better way to spend my remaining ones than helpin’ you raise them pups, helpin’ Cas. That bullheaded Alpha’s given me the life I’ve been blessed to have here.” She smiled over at him and laid a hand on his cheek. “And you gonna need all the help you can get, sugar.”

Dean smiled and huffed a laugh. “Yeah...I guess I will. Whenever that time comes, anyway.” He looked down at Jack. “We have our hands full with the two we have.”

“Mm hm,” Missouri chuckled. “You got lucky with this little guy, honey. He’s an easy baby. I’ve come across some real screamers in my day.”

“He can get goin’ if he wants to,” Dean snorted.

Missouri laughed and stood from the futon, shuffling over to the crib and gently tucking him inside. “I don’t doubt that. You’re a good mama, though. You’ll figure it out.”

She turned back to Dean and put her hands on her hips. “Now, I brought you plenty of food to last you the next couples days or so for your heat. I made sure to pack plenty of protein for Cas, since I’m bettin’ his rut will trigger. I’m afraid since Jack is still on the breast, he’s gonna have to stay here, otherwise I’d take him off your hands.”

Dean nodded and shrugged. “He won’t be a problem. He usually sleeps pretty well after feeding. Just a matter of getting that Alpha off me long enough to feed him.”

“Can’t help you there,” Missouri winked. “A ruttin' Alpha sticks to you like a leech.”

Dean snorted and stood, walking over and enveloping Missouri in a hug. “Thank you. I wouldn’t be where I am without you.”

Missouri hummed and patted his back as he pulled away. “I only helped. Sometimes people need a gentle reminder of how incredible they are. It was in you the whole time.” She patted his cheek again and gave one last look at Jack. “Alright, then. You need me for anything, all you gotta do is ask.”

Dean nodded, and Missouri grabbed her basket and left without another word, pulling the heavy door closed behind her. Dean had been considering going out to find Cas and Rory, to spend some time with their eldest before they were separated again for a few days, but now Jack was sleeping soundly and he didn’t have the heart to jostle him. Add to that the fact that it had cooled down dramatically outside, with winter just around the corner, and Dean resolved it best to just stay indoors. The last thing they needed was a sick pup. He vaguely hoped that Cas had the foresight to bring warmer clothes for the two of them, considering how prone Rory was to winter colds.

When a brief wave of dizziness had Dean clutching his head, he supposed he should get the place ready for a couple of days of heat and rut. It didn’t seem like much, but having a pitcher of water by the bed and a pile of towels to catch all the slick stacked nearby made things go much smoother.

\---

Dean could smell it the moment he woke and he blinked the moonlight shining through the window that he’d made Cas open hours before when his fever hit. His brain screamed **_alpharutalpharut_** and he shuddered violently as slick gushed out steadily, no doubt reacting to the scent. Luckily he’d gone to bed with no clothes on, knowing his heat would probably hit in full force during the night. Judging by the slick, sweat, and the beginnings of cramps, he’d been right.

He heard the muffled sound of Cas chuffing into his pillow, and he was briefly reminded of one of his first heats and the giant wolf pacing around outside his cabin. The thought had his mind racing and hole clenching, and he turned to find Cas steadily rutting into the mattress, claws extended and dug into the sheets. There was no telling how long he’d been awake, being tortured by the scent of Dean’s heat, the expense of allowing his mate to sleep as long as he comfortably could.

“Cas,” Dean rasped, and Cas looked over at him with glowing blue eyes as Dean shakily pulled himself up onto his hands and knees, pressing his forehead to the mattress.

Cas didn’t miss a beat, pushing himself up on all fours and taking his rightful place behind his Omega. He lined himself up and paused, running his calloused hands up Dean’s backside, along his back, and finally hooking them over Dean’s shoulders as he fully sheathed himself with a throaty growl.

Dean moaned, his wet hole immediately clamping down on the Alpha and pulling him in. He pushed back, blindly trying to get thick cock deeper, and Cas bared his fangs with a snarl as he dug his claws in. Dean got the message and stilled, whining pitifully and closing his eyes as his abdomen cramped. He rubbed his face into the pillow, wiping off the sweat, and groaned when Cas slid out. For a moment only the tip remained, hot and pulsing, Dean’s hole fluttering around it- then the Alpha snapped his hips, driving back in with enough force to push Dean into the headboard. He grabbed hold of it, knuckles white, as his Alpha set a brutal pace.

Cas lined himself up against Dean’s back, pressing his face into the back of Dean’s sweaty neck, scenting greedily and growling with each thrust. He lapped at the mating mark and Dean bared his neck readily, gasping when long fangs sank into the skin and that powerful jaw locked. A low growl started in Cas’s chest, building steadily, growing louder and louder in Dean’s ear, each strong thrust pushing him forward. Cas’s jaws kept him locked in place, bent submissively, bared completely. All Dean could do was hold on, slick running in thick currents down his thighs, his cock heavy and neglected between his legs as it dripped pre-cum onto the sheets below.

“B-breed me up real good, Alpha,” Dean moaned huskily, voice wobbly from the force Cas was putting behind each thrust. “C’mon Alpha, come for me, fill me up…”

He could feel Cas’s tongue laving over his skin and along where the fangs had sunk in, half stinging as he lapped at the blood, but it also sent a delicious shiver down his spine and straight down to his cock. He whined and nuzzled his cheek against Cas’s head, finding Alpha’s hair sweaty and matted. Cas wrapped one of his arms around Dean’s waist and his other hand snaked up and around to squeeze lightly at the base of his throat, and fuck if Dean didn’t respond equally favorably to that. He arched heavily and Cas pounded relentlessly into him, grunting lightly against his skin during each thrust. The knot- which was already semi swollen before he even mounted Dean- was trying desperately to catch on Dean’s rim, making an absolutely salacious squelching sound. It had been so long, all of the emotions and sensations of the last time they’d been together like this washing over them both again in full force, and it was no wonder Cas had lost himself a little more than necessary. Dean was pretty close to that himself.

“Need it, Cas, need that Alpha seed inside me…” Dean was wrecked, his voice hoarse. He wanted to reach down and stroke his aching cock, but he knew Cas liked when he came from being fucked alone. As it were, he wasn’t sure if he’d get there before Cas’s orgasm, which seemed to be approaching quickly.

Just as he thought it, he felt Cas pushing hard to pop the swollen knot back past his rim, and it locked them together as he filled Dean with the first wave of warm seed.

The relief was instantaneous, his fever subsiding and the cramps ceasing, the Alpha seed soothing it over as more and more pumped into him. Dean croaked out a moan, his hole clenching and clamping down as that knot pulsed inside him. His own cock kicked, spilling a few seconds later, and soaked the sheets with cum. Dean whined and pushed back, wanting _more_ , and Cas grunted as the movement pulled at his knot. It pulsed again, the second orgasm hitting the Alpha, pumping into the Omega below. Dean keened happily, his purr ripping from his chest loudly, and he clenched down on Cas to make sure he got every drop. Not that he needed to; Cas’s knot was swollen wide, stretching Dean nice and full, the knot of an Alpha in rut.

Cas wordlessly reached between Dean’s legs, stroking his cock and bringing his fingers to Dean’s mouth. Dean wrapped his lips around them, sucking them in, lapping up his own seed from Cas’s hand. Cas growled in satisfaction, his breath hot on Dean’s neck, and the third orgasm pulsed inside Dean in thick waves.

Cas stroked Dean’s wet cock as he emptied into him, still too incoherent to speak. Dean’s channel was so tight around his knot that he could feel every little twitch and pulse, and he moaned loudly, trying to imagine how much rougher Cas would fuck him in his wolf form. He wondered if being in that form meant more orgasms, more Alpha seed, and he decided that would be more than welcomed, shuddering at the idea of being pumped so full by his Alpha that he couldn’t possibly contain it all. He wanted his belly to swell with it, for it to drip out of his hole and slide thickly down his thighs.

Cas grunted softly and manhandled Dean to his side, plastering himself behind him and wrapping his arm around him, raising his hand to his lips. Dean dutifully sucked the fingers into his mouth again, cleaning the cum off hungrily. He’d much prefer to taste Cas than himself, but Cas’s reaction to seeing him do it at all was enough to make him indifferent to which of theirs it was.

“ _Fuck_ , that’s gorgeous,” Cas murmured, his voice raw, holding his hand out for Dean to lap at his palm as he stroked his hair with the other. “Sweet Omega...know just what to do to drive me wild. That’s it...show me how much you love it, pretty baby…”

Dean purred loudly, the sound vibrating in his chest, and he shivered when Cas answered with his own deeper one. He lapped and nibbled and sucked at Cas’s hand until it was clean, Cas rumbling his approval from behind.

“You have no idea how much I love watching you do that,” Cas grunted as he shifted and Dean’s rim tugged at his knot. “So gorgeous when you eat it up like that. My sweet Omega, you know just how to please me.”

Dean leaned his head neck, baring his neck and sighed when Cas buried his face in it. He felt a soft tongue licking up the blood, soothing over puncture wounds from Alpha fangs. It stung just a little and Dean’s hole twitched. Cas chuckled into his skin, smoothing his hand down Dean’s side the cover his hip, skimming down a cheek to press against Dean’s rim. The Omega gasped and bucked, a stream of slick slipping past the knot.

“ _God_ , you’re so sensitive,” Cas marveled, squeezing and rubbing Dean’s ass as he caught his breath again. “You’d think I hadn’t touched you in months.”

“You _haven’t_ ,” Dean hissed. He tried to pull away slightly, only serving to pull the knot painfully against his over-sensitive rim and cause Cas to tighten his hold on him and snarl loudly against his neck.

“I haven’t _knotted_ you in months,” Cas corrected, and Dean rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something else snarky, but Cas’s finger found its way back to his rim again, sliding over where the sensitive muscle stretched around his girth, the knot stretching him wide, then finally pushed again, smearing the cum and slick that escaped.

Dean jerked and whimpered, pressing his head back against Cas’s shoulder and thrusting his hips lightly, his cock already seeking friction again. Cas licked over his mating bite and kissed up his neck, the hand sliding back over his ass and up his side. He cupped his breast and kissed behind his ear, giving his hardened nipple a gentle flick with the tip of his finger.

Cas hummed, kissing behind his ear again, his lips barely grazing the shell of his ear.

“I’m really going to miss these,” he whispered softly, hot air giving Dean chills. Cas flicked the nipple again, then gently massaged the area around it, finally pinching it between two fingers. Dean gasped and looked down in time to see some of his milk running down his skin and beaded on Cas’s fingers, and Cas let out a deep breath by his ear. “ _Jesus,_ look at you, my pretty boy.”

Dean blushed heavily, his already too hot skin heating up, his cock twitching. He watched, wide eyed, as Cas brought the finger to mouth and licked off the small drop of milk. Dean gasped softly when he felt the thick knot inside him jerk and Cas shuddered violently against his back, breath coming out in short pants.

“I knew you’d taste sweet,” Cas growled, fingers dipping down to flick at Dean’s nipple again. “No wonder our pup drinks so greedily.”

Dean arched, pressing his ass into Cas’s crotch and thrusting his chest up. The Alpha growled and pumped his hips once, his cock twitching inside Dean’s tight passage.

“You’re teasing me,” Cas said darkly, pinching the nipple hard.

Dean jerked and moaned, smirking all the while. “Yeah,” he admitted easily, licking his lips. “What are you gonna do about it, _Alpha_?” He shifted, tugging the knot against his rim purposely, hissing at the wave of pain and pleasure.

Cas pinched his nipple again hard, coaxing out more milk and reaching up to rub it across Dean's lips, then let his hand drop to the base of his neck, pulling him flush with his body.

“I'm not typically in the business of rewarding bad behavior,” Cas ground out through clenched teeth against Dean's ear, “but given I'm already locked inside you, well… there's only so much I can do, isn't there?”

Without warning, Cas rolled to his back, pulling Dean on top of him, and spun Dean on his cock so he was facing him. Dean caught himself with his hands on Cas's stomach, yelping when Cas ground up into him and circled his hips.

“Touch yourself,” Cas commanded, pressing his fingers roughly into Dean's hips. “Go on. Do as I say.”

Cas's tone didn't leave room for argument, and so Dean took his overly sensitive cock in hand and began to stroke it slowly. Cas watched him intently, glowing blue eyes flitting back and forth between Dean's face and his cock.

“With _purpose_ ,” Cas growled, reaching up to pinch both of his nipples now, rolling them between his fingers as milk leaked out between them.

Dean twitched, the sensations on his cock and nipples-both very sensitive at the moment-bordering on painful, and he hissed through his teeth as he quickened his strokes. It didn’t take all that long to get his cock hard and leaking again, the heat feeding his stamina and making his refractory period significantly less.

“Mm, yes, there we go,” Cas purred, glowing eyes never straying from Dean’s cock, watching his hand slide up and down, pre-cum creating a sheen across the flushed skin. “Good boy.” He hummed and coaxed a bead of milk out, lapping it up quickly and growling softly. “You taste so good, Omega.”

“H-have some,” Dean stammered, blushing and moaning as Cas rolled a nipple between his fingers. Ever since Cas had discovered the little nubs were about as sensitive as the head of his cock, the Alpha was relentless in his teasing.

Cas paused and his eyes flitted up, the corner of his lips quirking. “Maybe if you’re a good boy…” he laid back against the pillows, lazily sprawled out under Dean, and canted his hips up. His cock, still as hard as a rock, twitched and nudged against Dean’s prostate. “Use your other hand to play with your breasts.”

“C-Cas…” Dean blushed even more, looking away briefly.

“Do as I say, Omega,” Castiel murmured lowly, blue eyes glowing intently. “It will feel good, I promise.”

Dean swallowed and raised a shaky hand to his breast, circling the nipple tenderly. The sensitivity was distracting and he briefly neglected his cock, until Cas clicked his tongue and covered Dean's hand with his own, helping him stroke at a quicker pace.

“C-Cas, it's t-too much…”

Cas pulled him down roughly and Dean gasped when the head of his cock pressed against his prostate, making black dance around his peripheral vision.

“Do it for me, sweet Omega.”

Dean half sobbed, trying to focus on stroking himself while he circled a nipple with his fingers. Cas slid one of his hands around to Dean's ass, pulling slightly as he pushed up again, walking his fingers in to push against his rim and smear more cum and slick around his stretched hole. Dean whimpered, and Cas hummed and moved his hand to the small of his back.

“That's it, gorgeous, arch for me, show off this beautiful body,” he said huskily. “If you don't make yourself come, I will. And I won't be so gentle about it.”

Dean shuddered and he honestly wasn’t sure which he wanted more, to get himself off or to let Cas take control. As it was, the part that wanted to obey won out and Dean tried to push away whatever embarrassment he felt as he cupped his breast, squeezing it gently and blowing out a breath through his nose. Cas’s rough hands dug into his hips encouragingly as he circled his own to stimulate the knot still trapped inside. Dean could feel it slowly softening, though it wouldn’t be long before Cas would stuff him with it again.

Dean gripped the base of his cock, squeezing as he hesitantly pinched his own nipple. He gasped and arched, cock twitching in his hand, and tossed his head back with a broken moan. His hips twitched, pushing his pre-cum soaked cock between his fingers, and he whined as he pinched and rolled his nipple. He forgot about being embarrassed and pumped into his first, the sound obscene and wet, his other hand working over the abused nub on his breast.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” Cas growled, mouthing hanging open slightly to show off his long fang. “ _Fuck,_  you look so good. Look at you; you like it don’t you...like playing with yourself.” He grunted as his knot finally released, his cock slipping out of Dean with a wet sound that made Dean blush. Cas took the opportunity to flip them over, and Dean landed on his back, breath leaving him as he let go of himself to grasp for purchase against the sheets.

“Did I say you could stop?” Cas asked menacingly, pulling Dean to him by his thighs as he settled between them. “Come on baby, show off for me.”

Dean's breath hitched as he took himself in hand again and a small sob escaped him as he slid his hand up his wet shaft, the sensitivity enough to drive him crazy. Cas leaned over him and laved his tongue over a wet nipple and Dean arched and cried out.

Cas chuckled darkly as he pulled away, licking his lips, and Dean desperately tried to think coherently enough to continue his ministrations, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate with all the heightened sensations wracking his body.

“I...Cas, I c-can’t-”

Cas turned his head to kiss the inside of Dean’s knee and put his hand over the one Dean still had on his cock. “That’s okay, sweetheart. Here, let me.”

Dean let his free hand fall to the bed with a small sob, and Cas moved the one on his cock up to his hardened nipple.

“Just rub gently, Dean, let Alpha do the rest.”

Cas rolled Dean’s other nipple between his fingers and pinched, squeezing out a few small beads of milk and spreading it, chewing his lip. His other hand dipped between Dean’s legs to gather a mixture of slick and cum from between his cheeks, using it as extra lube as he took the Omega’s cock in hand once again. After a beat he began stroking, quickly picking up pace, and stimulating Dean’s nipple with his fingers, pinching and flicking and massaging. Dean moaned brokenly and looked down at the reddened head of his cock poking in and out of Cas’s large fist, leaking clear precum.

    Cas’s hand, covered in cum and slick, moved up and down Dean’s cock with embarrassingly loud wet sounds. Dean, mouth hanging open as he desperately dragged in air, canted his hips up, fucking into Cas’s fist with abandon. He arched, both nipples stimulated with pinching and rolling, small beads of milk escaping and running over his swelled chest. He gasped when Cas, with hunger in his eyes, latched on and _sucked_. Dean cried out, hips stuttering, spilling over Cas’s fingers and his own stomach. The cum landed in thick, warm splashes, and Cas stroked him through it all, only letting go when the last drop had seeped out.

    Cas sat up slowly, licking his lips and gazing down at Dean with the dark eyes of an Alpha who was still hungry, nowhere near done getting his fill of his Omega. Dean’s chest rose and fell rapidly as he fought to catch his breath, twitching at even slightest touch. His whole body felt too sensitive, too raw. His cock, red and spent, lay flaccid against his stomach. His nipples were red and swollen from the abuse, still glistening from the milk. His hole, fueled by the heat and Alpha’s rut, still leaked slick steadily, keeping his passage wet and pliant for his Alpha.

    “You did beautifully, Dean,” Cas’s voice rumbled as he leaned down to lick leisurely at the mess on Dean’s belly. Dean blushed and bit his lip, watching Cas with hooded eyes.

    “I c-couldn’t finish...myself,” he mumbled, twitching when a fang grazed his skin.

    “That’s okay, sweetheart,” Cas kissed his way up Dean’s torso, pausing briefly to lap up some escaped milk. “I might have been a bit too demanding. I should have eased you into it a bit more.” He smiled and nuzzled Dean’s neck, purring when the Omega bared it willingly. “You did very well. My beautiful Omega.”

    He slid his hands back down Dean’s sides, biting his bottom lip. “ _Jesus,_ I wish you could see yourself. Absolutely wrecked, a beautiful mess. I’m becoming very much obsessed with seeing you like this, covered in your own spend, leaking mine.” He spread Dean’s legs apart and pushed them up, leaning down to lap at his sore rim. Dean twitched slightly, finally relaxing into it, letting Cas clean and soothe him.

    When he was finished, he crawled back up the bed, scenting and kissing Dean’s neck before collapsing next to him, an arm thrown over his chest.

“How's your fever?”

“Mmm, little better.” Dean shifted uncomfortably and grimaced, looking down at the fluids cooling on his torso. "I feel gross."

 Cas huffed a laugh against his skin.

    “Not to worry, Omega.” Cas kissed him again, then reached up to lay his hand against his cheek, pulling him in to press their lips together. “Give your tired old Alpha a couple minutes to catch his breath. I’m gonna get you all cleaned up.”

Dean smiled a little and turned on his side to face Cas, snuggling up to him and laying his head on his arm.  

“You know I don’t _actually_ think you’re old,” he muttered, pressing lazy kisses to sweaty skin.

“Could have fooled me,” Cas huffed, dropping his arm over Dean’s shoulders.

“I only tease you,” Dean said, nuzzling an old looking scar on Cas’s arm. “You have too much left in you to be old. You’re too strong, too... _much_ to be old.”

“Too much?” Cas raised a brow, watching Dean’s finger trace the tattoo on his chest.

“Yeah, sometimes,” Dean shrugged. “Sometimes just being in the same room as you leaves me breathless. It’s like you take up all the space, command all the attention, without even trying. You can be really intense, Cas, and I don’t think you even realize it half the time.”

Cas stared at him for a long time with an unreadable expression, finally reaching to tip Dean’s chin up so he had to meet his eyes. “Do...I scare you, Omega?”

The look in his eyes actually made it seem, if even for a brief second, that the thought of Dean being scared of him made him more afraid than Dean had ever been of him. After all the talk of holding himself back, of Dean’s assurance that he didn’t have to, that Dean would love him regardless of how wild he became...it was clear that he was still afraid that Dean would reject him as he began to unleash more and more of his _Alpha_.

“No,” Dean said definitively, stretching slightly to kiss the tip of Cas’s nose. “No, Cas, it’s just... _this_ , right now. That’s what I mean.”

“I...don’t understand.”

“ _Jesus_ , Cas, it’s...it’s the way you _look_ at me sometimes.” Dean looked down as he traced Cas’s tattoo again, the black wolf stretching upwards toward the moon. “Like...like I’m the only one in the room. Like you can see parts of me no one else can...like you can see straight through to my soul.” He shook his head, shivering lightly. “I dunno, though. I kinda get the feeling others are...kind of the same way. Everyone in the room tenses when you enter it. And not necessarily in a negative way, but you sort of...leisurely demand respect. I think there’s a healthy amount of fear there, but it’s all borne out of respect. I’ve never seen an Alpha so universally loved. And I know that doesn’t mean much considering my past, but...it just...really says a lot about the sort of person you are.”

“I look at you like you’re the only person in the room because to me, you are,” Cas said, his hand sliding to Dean’s neck and stroking his jaw with his thumb. “At the end of the day, you- our _family_ \- you three mean more to me than I could ever express to you. And as long as the three of you love me, I couldn’t care less what anyone else thinks of me.”

“Well,” Dean cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly. “Even so, they still respect you. It’s instinct maybe, or just _you_ , but your presence makes everyone hold their breath.”

“One would think you and the rest of them would have grown bored of me by now,” Cas scoffed, tracing his finger down from Dean’s jaw and over the curve of his neck.

“No,” Dean said, shaking his head and swallowing when Cas squeezed ever so slightly. “Opposite, I think. The effect you have seems to get stronger over time. Can’t see myself ever getting bored of you.”

Cas hummed and kissed Dean softly under his jaw then sat up, stretching and groaning as a few joints popped. He crawled out of bed and fetched a damp cloth, returning a moment later to settle between Dean’s legs. The Omega spread them lazily, one stretched out and the other bent, a foot flat on the bed. He was silent as Cas leisurely wiped him down, starting with the sensitive bits between his thighs.

They’d already shared so much together, everything had already become so commonplace between them, that this was hardly uncomfortable anymore. It was almost just as intimate as the sex itself, in its own way. Cas had taken him apart, piece by piece, and put him back together. He’d seen him bruised and scarred, skin and bones, skittish and afraid. He’d watched him give birth and breastfeed their son. Cas had seen it all- just as Dean had said, right down to his very soul- and he was more in love with him now than ever before.

Cas tossed the cloth to the side of the bed and got up with a small grunt. He leaned over the crib to check on Jack- who, by some miracle, was still sleeping- and Dean watched with an absent smile as Cas traced the infant’s cheek with the tip of his finger before pulling away.

    Dean also no longer hid his blatant appreciation for Cas’s body anymore. He watched him intently as he approached his side of the bed, spent Alpha cock bobbing between muscular thighs, the tanned skin of his stomach and chest stretched taut over more hard muscle. Years of being a pack protector were disguised as red and white scars littering his body, boundless hours of manual labor packed into the callouses he bore on his hands, the bags under his eyes telling of his dedication to his pack and to his family.

    “What?” Cas asked with a smile and the tilt of his head as he scooped Dean up in his arms. Even with Dean an inch or so taller than him, Cas still didn’t have any issue physically handling him.

    Dean grinned as he looped his arms around Cas’s neck and laid his head against his shoulder. “Nothin’. I just love you, is all.”

    Cas pressed his cheek to Dean’s forehead as he carried him to the bathroom, no doubt intent on bathing him, like he often did after they made love. He kissed Dean’s forehead, letting his lips linger.

    “I love you too, my Omega.”

\----

Missouri may have been right about the heat being shorter, but that also meant the “heavy” part came sooner. Within only a few hours Dean was in the throes of it, the fever so bad he was sweating faster than he could wipe it away and his slick could fill a bucket. He was reduced to a mindless, moaning mess, writhing on the floor with nothing but **_alphaknotmatebreed_** repeating in his mind. He was aware of nothing but the need to be filled, to feel that fat knot stretch him wide and all that Alpha seed coat his insides. He was an animal, clawing at the floor and whining, back arched and his neck bared.

Alpha, deep into his rut as well, gripped the back of Dean’s head and pulled, forcing the Omega to stretch his neck back. His other hand gripped Dean’s hip, claws digging in as he pounded into the wet, pliant hole. Each thrust, powerful and brutal, rubbed Dean’s hands and knees raw across the wood of the floor. Dean hardly noticed, his senses focused on the hard cock slipping in and out, the swollen head hitting his prostate hard and sending sparks behind Dean’s eyes.

The cabin was loud and Dean realized through the lustful fog that it was him, moaning and whining and crying for his Alpha. Cas, too lost in his own hunger, eyes wild and more wolf than human, could only snarl and growl in response. The _slap_ of their skin was obscene, hard and loud, and would leave bruises on the back of Dean’s thighs. The air was thick, too thick, and Dean worked to drag in air. It reeked of sex, slick, and Alpha arousal. Cas’s scent was a roaring fire, waves crashing onto the storm from the storm that was Dean’s scent, wild and untameable, the scents mixing to create the unique smell of their unchained desire.

They hadn't fully anticipated how incredibly difficult it would be breastfeeding Jack while struggling through heat and rut, not that it could have been avoided. Dean had been practically burning up with fever during his last feeding, and he was sure it wouldn't be long before the pup was up needing milk or a change again.

But for now it was nothing but he and Cas moving together, the sounds of their lovemaking filling the room. Dean arched his back and craned his neck in an act of complete submission and Cas took him as such, claws digging into skin as he pounded into him. His wet hole was swollen, stretched, and sore, but despite that, everything in Dean's body screamed _more_ , needing Cas harder, deeper.

Cas roughly let go of his head in favor of grabbing his other hip, shoving his swelling knot past Dean's sensitive rim with a growl. Dean yelped and sobbed, letting his forehead drop to the floor.

“Gonna breed you up again, sweet Omega,” came Cas's voice from seemingly far away. Dean moaned loudly, trying desperately to bring himself back to the moment, trying to hold onto consciousness as long as he could. A biting pain across his backside made him cry out, then Cas was kneading the overheated skin with the tips of his fingers.

“Come back to me, Dean.” It was a warning, and Dean could feel himself mentally trying to claw his way back to the surface. “C’mere.” The demand was no more than a growl, and strong hands around his chest pulled him up until his back was flush with Cas's front. A strong arm held around his waist and the other hand was at his throat, holding him in place, practically in the Alpha’s lap. His cock bobbed between his legs as Cas thrust up into him and circled his hips, and he could vaguely feel hot tears on his face, the product of overstimulation and the fact that Cas felt _good_ , too good, the man knowing the perfect combination of pain and pleasure to take his Omega apart.

“ _P-please, please, Cas,”_ Dean begged, not really sure what he was begging _for_ exactly, being that the Alpha couldn't give him any more than he already was.

“Mmm, you wanna be filled again so soon?” Cas grunted with each thrust, remnants of a growl on the end of each sound. “So ready to be bred again…”

“ _Yes, yes…”_ Dean whined, trying in vain to touch himself. “Put your pups inside me, Alpha… make me _swell_ again…”

Cas _tsked_ , grabbing Dean's wrists and holding them tightly to his body. “No no, Omega. I want you to come on my cock, and my cock alone. I'm gonna fuck that sweet cum right out of you. _Feel_ me, Omega.”

Dean sobbed again and leaned back against Cas, feeling _everything_ as the Alpha's knot stretched him wide. It finally caught and Cas practically howled as he spilled inside, Dean following immediately after, the pulsing knot making his own cock kick spurt after spurt of warm cum out onto the wood floor.

“Look at that,” Cas marveled breathlessly, watching over Dean’s shoulder, and Dean let his head drop, vaguely registering as another spurt of cum was forced out in time Cas’s next thrust, splattering thickly to the floor as well. Dean moaned brokenly when Cas fisted the back of his hair and pulled his head back against him, his mouth hanging open as he panted, eyelids heavy. They closed completely when Cas’s lips latched onto his neck, his own hips stuttering with the last of his orgasm as he felt Cas filling him a second time, warmth flooding through him and helping to ease his fever. Cas licked a stripe up his neck to just behind his ear, pressing his lips to the shell as he spoke.

“Look at the mess you’ve made,” Cas said softly, decently even, if not a little breathless, for the fact that he was still in the throes of his orgasm. “But I’ll forgive you because you looked so beautiful doing it.” The hand in his hair relaxed and morphed into a petting motion, gently stroking his head.

Dean’s thighs trembled and a second later they gave out all together. A strong arm held him up, flush against Cas’s chest, and his head fell back to the Alpha’s shoulder. “I got you, sweetheart,” Cas murmured into his ear, still petting his hair tenderly as he nuzzled the side of his neck. Dean, eyes still closed, nodded slightly, trusting his Alpha to hold his weight. Cas was stronger than he looked and that was often proven during their lovemaking as the Alpha easily manhandled his Omega into various positions, carrying him around the cabin like he weighed nothing.

Cas’s hand trailed down Dean’s chest to rest at his belly, tracing a long, jagged scar. “You’re so beautiful,” he sighed, taking some of the cum from Dean’s spent cock and smearing it across his stomach. He grazed his fingertips across the stretch marks, the slight pooch still left from carrying their pup, and Dean instinctively tried to pull away.

“One day you’ll see it, Omega,” Cas held him still, petting Dean’s belly and tracing another scar. “One day you won’t flinch away anymore. I don’t care how long it takes. I’ll make you see it.”

Dean swallowed thickly and let himself be maneuvered onto the floor, Cas taking care not to tug at his rim as they stretched out. Cas smiled when Dean began to purr and moaned softly when his passage, wrapped around his cock so tightly, fluttered and squeezed around his knot.

“You’re insatiable,” Cas growled, looping an arm under Dean’s thigh and lifting it as he circled his hips, stimulating Dean’s prostate. “You take me in so well. Get nice and full, and still want more.” He laid his hand flat on Dean’s belly. “Already begging for more pups. Ready to swell up for me again.”

Dean whimpered and closed his eyes, his mouth falling open as he dragged in air. Cas slid his hand down his thigh and back up, pulling him back and pressing kisses to his shoulder.

“Want… everything you can give me,” Dean finally whispered, shivering slightly as his overheated skin began to cool in the chill of the cabin. The temperature outside wasn't quite chilly enough for a fire, but it was enough that they were having to bundle Jack in extra blankets.

“I'll give you whatever you want, sweet Omega,” Cas said against his skin, hand roaming as he kissed wherever he could reach. “Anything you want, sweetheart, you need only ask.”

Dean managed a weak smile and let his head drop against Cas's arm, shifting his body slightly and wincing at the slightest pull of Cas's knot against his rim, causing him to hiss softly.

“Dean,” Cas said, voice laced with concern. “I want you to be honest with me, right now. Have I hurt you in any way? Is this… too much? I can be gentler, I just...I need to know what you need.” His hand was gentle while tracing Dean's scars, sliding up his torso, massaging his sore breasts, and he scented and licked soothingly at his neck.

Dean huffed tiredly and covered Cas’s hand with his own, squeezed it gently. “ ‘course you haven’t hurt me, Cas,” he murmured. “Woulda said something if you had. Always a little sore during a heat...gets a little tender down there is all. ‘Specially since it’s been a while for us.”

“Are you sure?” Cas paused in his ministrations, lips grazing over Dean’s mating mark. “It won’t upset me if you need me to ease up-”

“Cas,” Dean said firmly, sighing slightly. He turned his head to look up at the Alpha, those blue eyes gazing down at him with concern. “I’m not sayin’ all this to...to make you feel better or something. I let you get rough because I _like_ it. I told you, I love your wild side. Don’t get me wrong, I love it when you’re gentle with me. But I like being a little sore afterwards, too.”

Cas smiled and nuzzled his jaw. “Good. I just worry, Omega. With all you’ve been through, in a mere year’s time. You’ve come so far that it’s easy for me to sometimes forget the things you’ve seen and experienced in the past. I don’t want to make assumptions about the state of your well-being and be wrong.”

“The state of my well-being?” Dean said somewhat defensively, raising a brow.

“I don’t want you to fall into...say, a role of submission, because you feel you need to now. Regardless of being my Omega, you still are under no obligation to submit to me. I don’t want you to begin feeling uncomfortable with this arrangement, or with... _this_ aspect between us, and become too afraid to tell me. I understand that it’s easy to fall into that role naturally, but I don’t want it to be borne out of fear if it happens. If I hurt you, I expect you to let me know. If I make you uncomfortable, I expect you to let me know.” He paused and sighed, reaching up to brush his fingers through Dean’s hair. “Do you understand?”

“I don’t feel like I _need_ to do anything,” Dean said, relaxing again. “I’m with you like this because I want to be.” He shrugged and tangled their fingers together, kissing Cas’s knuckles. “I get your concern. Don’t really understand this part of myself either, to be honest. Where it comes from, whether it’s because I’m Omega or if it’s just me. But it doesn’t scare me because I can trust you with...whatever it is.”

Cas was silent for a long moment and Dean sighed, fighting the urge to roll his eyes.

“Yes, Cas, I understand.”

Cas relaxed and nodded, kissing Dean’s shoulder. “Good.”

Dean chewed on his lip and shifted, twitching when the knot pulled at his rim. He looked back at Cas and grinned, green eyes twinkling. “You gonna be ready to go again, old man? I still want more.”

Cas huffed and nipped at Dean’s shoulder, blue eyes glowing faintly. “Absolutely.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, Sydney here!   
> Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who left kudos and comments. Our inbox got a little out of control while I was ill, but I got to as many as I could handle today!   
> Thank you to everyone who asked about me and sent well wishes. I'm feeling much better today.   
> Special thank you to Lauren for getting the new chapters up for you guys! <3

“Are you three ready?”

“Yeah.” Dean held Jack in his arms as he fed, gently rubbing his head. He groaned and let his own head fall back against the headboard. “They were born almost two months ago, Cas. Everyone’s already met them. Why do we need to-”

“The induction is a traditional pack custom, Dean,” Cas said coolly, pulling Rory’s coat off its hook and holding it out as she walked in from her room. “All newborn pups are officially inducted into their pack, their family, after they’re born. Due to situations out of our control, we have not really had much of an opportunity to do so yet. Not to mention, we wanted the others to feel comfortable here before attending a campwide event.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Dean grumbled, looking down at their son.

“You won’t have to do anything but stand with me, Omega,” Cas said comfortingly. “No need to speak, unless you feel moved to.”

Dean sighed and heaved himself up and out of bed. Jack didn’t seem to mind being jostled around as Dean slipped on his shoes and jacket with Cas’s help, the pup’s suckling steady as he blinked around his surroundings. Dean once again thanked whatever celestial being that was up there that his first pup was so calm. 

He grumbled as they stepped outside, hunching over his pup to block some of the cool air.  He wasn’t too pleased about having to walk around with Jack still feeding, but they were already late as it was. The sun was setting and most of the pack had already gathered around the large bonfire set up in the middle of the camp. They didn’t have a building big enough to house everyone now that they had twice as many pack members, but Cas said most inductions were held outside anyway. He liked things closer to nature. Being part wolf, Dean supposed that made sense.

“Papa, was I inducted?” Rory asked, her left hand in Cas’s and her right hand in Dean’s. 

“Of course, sweetie,” Cas smiled down at her as they stepped carefully down the hill. “It’s one of the few old ceremonies I’ve tried to keep around. I do this for all our new pups and that included you.”

“What about the other ceremonies?” Rory frowned and blinked up at him. “You said a few. How come just a few?”

Cas shrugged and Dean could swear he saw a faint blush on his cheeks, and knew instantly his Alpha was thinking of the archaic ceremony of claiming an Omega in front of the whole pack. 

“There are some…” Cas said carefully, “that are not appropriate for our pack. And some are just a little too outdated and unnecessary.”

“Like what?”

“Like…”

“Like traditions that Papa can tell you more about when you’re older,” Dean said quickly, casting a glance at Cas, who huffed a laugh and looked down at his feet.

Rory pouted slightly but it was short lived, as they ran into Charlie and Dorothy as they approached the bonfire. 

“LiLi!” Rory shrieked unnecessarily loud as she broke free from Dean and Cas, and Charlie broke into a wide grin as she hunched over and held out her arms just in time for Rory to throw herself into them. She picked her up with some effort and nodded to Cas as they moved to the circle of people around the fire, a silent consent to watch her during the ceremony. Cas wrapped an arm around Dean’s waist and guided him to the front of the crowd, so Dean re-adjusted Jack in his arms to hastily pull down his shirt before all eyes were on him. 

Dean felt a strong hand on his shoulder when they reached the front of the group, and he turned to see Benny smiling at him.

“Heya, Dean,” he said, then looked down at Jack, who was suddenly fixated on the large man. “Hey, little man.”

Dean quirked a smile and nodded slightly. “Benny.”

“You all ready?”

Dean scoffed. “No. Hate stuff like this. Being in front of people...dunno. Feel judged.”

“Nah, you shouldn’t, cher,” Benny said easily. “All the ones you know love you, respect you. All the others will come to. Nothin’ to worry about. And after all, it’s pack tradition. Good to instill that in the young’uns and in the newcomers.”

“I guess,” Dean muttered, casting anxious glances over the crowd. The members he’d grown to know and love were gathered up close, either settling into chairs or on blankets. The newer members, the nervous Omegas still very much wary of being anywhere near their Alpha, sat further back. Dean was frankly surprised any of them even showed up, but perhaps they were curious about an Alpha welcoming a pup that wasn’t his into his pack.

Sam and Eileen emerged from the crowd, Eileen clinging tightly to Maura and looking almost as out of place as Dean felt. She gave him a small smile when their eyes met, and Sam grinned and nodded to him.

“Ease up, cher,” Benny squeezed his shoulder. “It don’t take too long and Cas does most of the talking.”

“Then why am I up here?” Dean sighed and looked back down at Jack, smiling softly when the pup reached up for him. He bent his head, letting Jack grab his nose.

“Because,” Benny said gently, “you’re not just any Omega here, Dean. You’re  _ the _ Omega. As Cas’s mate, you set the example for the rest. Sam might be the second-in-command now, but you’re Cas’s right hand. Whatever decisions he makes,  _ you _ are going to help him make. You may not be Alpha, but to these Omegas, you’re the one they look up to.” He smiled and nodded down at Jack. “Not to mention you’re the mother of his pup, who is being inducted.”

Dean smiled and looked shyly down at Jack. “Guess it’s not so bad.”

“That’s the spirit.” Benny clapped him on the shoulder. “Alright now, you all ready?” 

Cas and Sam nodded, and Dean and Eileen took their places beside them. Benny quirked a smile and clapped his hands together, turning to the crowd.

“Thanks for bein’ here, everyone,” he started, his voice loud and booming, immediately silencing any whispers. “It’s a very special night, and on behalf of myself, Castiel, Sam, and their mates, I wanted to tell you how much it means to us that you’ve all come. Tonight we’ll witness the pups of our two Alphas officially become a part of our pack here at Eden.”

There were some more whispers and a few claps, and after a moment, everyone went quiet again. Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw Sam translating Benny’s words for Eileen, and a random swell of affection bloomed in his chest for the two of them.

“For those of you who are new to Eden, our induction ceremony is much like the ones of lore. We’ll introduce the little ones, welcome them to the pack, and for those who would like to, we’ll be here for awhile afterward to fellowship with one another. Please feel free to come up after the induction to congratulate the families on the births of their little ones.” Benny paused and looked around the large group of people, nodding after a moment and turning to Sam and Eileen.

He bowed his head to Sam, then to Eileen, then held his hands out toward Maura. Eileen smiled at him and slowly handed her over, putting her gently into Benny’s large hands. He held her close to his chest, moving back to the center of the crowd, and Missouri joined him by his side, smiling down at Maura. Cas pressed a kiss to Dean’s forehead and stepped forward, taking Maura from Benny and looking at her in adoration.

“Born almost two months ago, the daughter of Alpha Sam Winchester and his mate, Eileen Leahy.” Cas looked around the crowd. “We are dedicating ourselves as a pack to work as a village to help raise this new pup, as well as wish support, wisdom, and understanding to the new parents.” He looked lovingly down at the squirming pup. “Maura Deanna Leahy-Winchester, with all our strength and love, we welcome you with open hearts as an official member of our pack here at Eden.”

Missouri popped the cork off an old bottle she was holding, placing her thumb over the opening and turning it up. Cas turned his body to her as he cradled Maura, and Missouri swiped her thumb slowly over Maura’s forehead.

Benny started clapping first, and everyone else joined in as Sam and Eileen beamed proudly beside them. Cas kissed Maura’s forehead before passing her back to Eileen, then joined Dean back by his side.

“What was that stuff?” Dean leaned over and whispered to Cas.

“Holy oil,” Cas whispered back as he clapped. “Tradition calls for the blood of a sacrifice, old life for new, but for obvious reasons, we’ve modified tradition.”

Dean swallowed hard and nodded. Not for the first time, he was glad that he lived here and now in Eden, as opposed to the time in which these old traditions were commonplace.

When the clapping died down, Benny laid his hands briefly on both Sam and Eileen’s shoulders and bowed his head. They responded in kind, and Benny moved over to Dean and Cas, holding out his hands.

Dean automatically handed Jack over, who looked curiously from him to Benny, then reached up to tug at his short beard. Benny chuckled as he turned to the crowd with him, returning to Missouri’s side. Dean clasped his hands together in front of him and fidgeted nervously, so Cas wrapped his arm around him again, pulling him in to kiss his forehead.

“Also born almost two months ago, the son of Alpha Castiel Novak and his mate, Dean Winchester. We are dedicating ourselves as a pack to work as a village to help raise this new pup, as well as wish support, wisdom, and understanding to the new parents.” He looked down at Jack, who grinned a gummy smile up at him. “Jack Remus Winchester-Novak, with all our strength and love, we welcome you with open hearts as an official member of our pack here at Eden.”

The crowd clapped, and Dean couldn’t help but grin proudly at his little pup who was still tugging on Benny’s beard even while Missouri rubbed the holy oil across his head. Cas looked every bit the proud Alpha, both of his son and his pack.

Benny walked back over and handed Jack back to Dean, bowing his head. Dean returned the gesture, blushing slightly, and hugged Jack to his chest. The pup was grinning, waving his arms about in excitement at all the new sights and sounds.  

Cas kissed Dean on the cheek then stepped up, and the crowd quieted down instantly. “I wanted to thank everyone for being here,” Cas smiled softly, hands clasped behind his back. “Here at Eden we celebrate new life and will always welcome new families with open arms. I know the last couple of months have been rough for some of us, and there are a lot of new faces here. I just want to say to our new members that you are welcome to live here as long you like, whether that’s for a few months or 20 years. These gates are to protect you, not keep you in. I also want to say you have nothing to fear from me or Sam...and I do not allow other Alphas inside the camp except for special circumstances, given they pass my extensive line of questioning. You and your pups are  _ safe _ here. This ceremony wasn’t just for our two pups, it was for you too. You’re a part of this pack for however long you wish to be.” 

He nodded sagely a few times to people around the bonfire, letting his hands fall to his sides, twitching slightly in the way that Dean noticed they often did when he addressed the camp. Nervousness of sorts, he supposed, although Cas did a good job of hiding it. It wasn’t something people who didn’t know him as well would notice.

“For those who wish to stay and fellowship with us, we welcome you. If not, you are free to return to your cabins. Thank you again for coming.” Cas bowed slightly with his hands in front of him pressed against one another, then backed away a few steps before turning his back on the crowd. He strode directly over to Dean and held his face between his hands as he kissed him, chaste but lingering, pressing their foreheads together as he pulled away and looking down between them at Jack. Jack grinned and reached up for him, grabbing one of the buttons on his shirt and pulling, gurgling gleefully.

“Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Dean huffed and licked his lips, wanting to lean forward and taste his Alpha again, but not wanting to draw attention with unnecessary displays of affection. “I guess not.”

“And now everyone knows who our son is.”

“As if they didn’t know before-”

“You look beautiful tonight, by the way.”

Dean snapped his mouth closed and he felt his face getting hot as Cas pulled away slightly and looked back up at him with a smile, dropping his hands to his waist. It was true that he’d mostly recovered now from Jack’s birth, but if he didn’t feel attractive before, he felt even less so now. His body was still working to rid itself of the excess fat and skin from carrying him, his stomach was further marred with stretch marks, he was pale and his hair had actually lost some of its luster while he was pregnant that it was just beginning to regain. None of that, as usual, mattered to Cas.

He knew better than to argue with Cas and so he nodded, shifting Jack in his arms. 

“S-so do you,” he muttered nervously, face getting even redder. For whatever reason he still had some trouble getting affectionate words out, despite how utterly beautiful Cas really was. It should be easy to tell him that all the time, especially since it seemed to come off of Cas’s tongue so easily. Despite being mated now, Dean still got nervous with his words in the case of intimacy.

Cas’s smile widened and he leaned in close, bumping their noses together then nuzzling Dean’s check. “My precious Omega,” he murmured lowly, words only for Dean’s ears. “You do such things to me.”

Dean swallowed audibly and he took a deep breath as Cas pulled away, pulling in the scent of his Alpha and not all that surprised to smell a hint of arousal. Cas took his hand and lead him through the crowd, stopping every couple of steps to greet and let the pack members get a closer look at the Alpha’s son. Dean noticed a few of the new Omegas had retreated back to their cabins, but most were still hovering around the outskirts. He felt more than one pair of eyes on him and quite suddenly came to the decision to reach out to as many as he could. After all, he knew very well what they had gone through. Benny was right; he could be a good example to them. Proof there could be a happy ending and that Castiel could be trusted.

They finally got to where most of the crowd was headed. A feast had been arranged on a long table (well, lots of tables pushed together), with smaller tables placed around it. It was good for the new Omegas to interact with the veteran pack members, to socialize and see for themselves that the pack lived in harmony under its Alphas.

Dean looked around, a mop of long dark hair catching his attention. He started walking towards Hannah when he felt a strong hand on his arm, and he looked back to see Cas looking at him with concern.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, Cas, just...mingling.” Dean shrugged and gave him a smile.

Cas nodded and gestured down to Jack. “Want me to take him?”

Instinctively, Dean wanted to pull Jack to his chest, refuse to let anyone else touch him. It was a reaction that he routinely had to actively keep himself from doing, especially around Cas. Jack spent most of his time with Dean, the majority of that time in his arms, and he knew as the boy got older he would want and need to spend more and more time away from his mama, which Dean supposed is why he felt the need to hold on so tightly now.

He tried to hide his reluctance as he slowly handed Jack to Cas, and although he said nothing, Cas surely noticed it. He tucked their son close to his chest and pulled Dean in by the back of his neck with his free hand, kissing him on the forehead, then on the lips.

“We’ll be right here when you come back,” Cas promised, and Dean relaxed a little and nodded with another smile, finally tearing his eyes away from Jack and turning to make his way through the crowd.

He was stopped a few times for polite conversation or congratulations, but he eventually made it to Hannah, who gave him a warm smile. She’d filled out quite a bit since she’d arrived, a new healthy glow on her skin and in her hair, but then, she also seemed to be one of the more easily adjusted Omegas. She had her hands clasped together in front of her and she nodded to Dean when he’d broken free of the crowd.

“Dean, how are you?” she asked politely.

“Doin’ alright. How are you?”

She shrugged and looked around, the peaceful smile still on her face, her newly cut thick bangs falling into her eyes. Dean rubbed the back of his neck and scuffed his shoe against the yellowed grass.

“It was a beautiful ceremony,” she said simply, pinning him with light blue eyes. “Your son...he has really grown.”

“Yeah,” Dean grinned, looking back over his shoulder and seeing Cas through the crowd, showing off Jack to Donna and Jody, with Benny lingering close by, scanning the crowd protectively. “Too fast, ‘f ya ask me.” He looked back over at Hannah, who was still smiling wistfully. “H-how has the adjustment been goin’, ya know, with it bein’ a new camp and all?”

Hannah’s smile faded slightly and she blinked at him, then nodded her head toward Cas. “Castiel has been very kind,” she said with another nod, then sighed. “My hope is to one day feel at home here. But in the meantime, it’s an excellent alternative to the former. I do appreciate all your pack has done for me, and for my sisters, and their children.”

Dean nodded and shrugged a bit bashfully, feeling a bit odd for accepting gratitude over something he had very little to do with. 

“You like it here,” Hannah said, blinking up at him with an odd look.

Dean nodded slowly, glancing around the crowd as a few groups began to sit at the tables to eat. “Yeah, I do,” he murmured. “I was where you are now. Didn’t feel like I belonged. Or that this place was even real...too good to be true, you know? Kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, I guess.” 

“And did it?” 

Dean shook his head and snorted. “Nah. These people are some of the nicest ones you’ll ever meet. Cas and Sam are good Alphas. Cas helped me to heal, Missouri has been like a mother to me, Benny is a good friend. Eden is as close to paradise as this world will ever get, I think.” 

Hannah nodded. “We're some of the lucky ones. But there are still so many out there who need saving.”

Dean shifted from foot to foot, shoving his hands in his pockets and casting a glance back at Cas, who was gently bouncing Jack in his arms and talking animatedly with Donna. 

“Yeah… if they're out there, Cas will find them.”

Hannah tilted her head at him. “The thought makes you uncomfortable?”

Dean licked his lips quickly and shrugged. “Cas was doing this long before he met me, and I imagine he'll continue for as long as he physically can.”

“That's not what I asked.”

Dean quirked a smile and looked down at his feet. “I… worry for him. He can't do this forever. And call me selfish, but...I don't want him to. He's done so much for so many. He deserves a break.” Dean sighed. “But I can't ask that of him… to quit. I can't ask him to turn his back on those who desperately need him.”

“But if you asked...he would.”

Dean’s head snapped up and he frowned. “What?”

Hannah’s shoulders rose and fell with her sigh, and she smiled softly. “Your relationship is different than most Alphas and Omegas. He respects you, he listens to you. If you asked him to stop, he would. Correct?”

It seemed like a couple of months at Eden had done wonders for Hannah as far as what she was beginning to deem a healthy Alpha/Omega relationship. Considering she’d been utterly confused by Dean’s relationship with Cas when they’d first met, this was a huge revelation for her, and Dean was kind of surprised the change had happened so quickly.

“Yeah. Yeah, if I asked, he would.” Dean said finally, confidently. 

“So will you?”

Dean looked over his shoulder at Cas, who was seated now with Jack in one arm while he chatted with Benny and Sam. The Alpha looked happy, holding his son tightly, surrounded by his pack. 

“No,” Dean finally said with a small shake of his head, turning back to Hannah. “It’s what he does. What he’s been doing since long before he met me. It’s up to him to decide when to stop. What he’s doing is important. It wouldn’t be fair of me to make him stop.”

“Well,” Hannah tilted her head, watching Cas interact with one of her sisters actually brave enough to approach him. “Perhaps he will make that decision sooner than you think. He has a mate, a pup-”

“Pups,” Dean corrected, and Hannah nodded.

“Right,  _ pups _ , this pack...maybe he will decide he is needed here more.”

“Maybe,” Dean shrugged, looking unconvinced. As long as there were Omegas that needed saving, he didn’t think Cas would ever stop trying to help them until he physically couldn’t anymore.

“I hope he does,” Hannah said genuinely, and she clasped her hands together in front of her, giving him a smile and a nod, then turned to retreat presumably back to her cabin. Dean watched her go, so deep in thought about their conversation that he didn’t hear Mary approach until she laid a hand briefly on his forearm. 

Things between them were still awkward, but getting a little better each time they spoke. Dean had spoken in depth with Garth over the past several months about Mary, and he'd spent some extra time there ever since he spoke with her about his abandonment. Dean had been unsure about the true events of that day, confused that he didn't at all remember his mother's visceral reaction to John taking him away. Garth explained that our brains can sometimes fictionalize or change the memories we have of traumatic events to make them easier to accept. He wasn't sure how the memory his brain had conjured was any better than the original, but he supposed it would definitely have been harder for him at one point knowing that there was someone out there who wanted him that he couldn't find. Dean wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to have the kind of relationship with Mary that she wanted, but he was trying to make things work, at least for their pups’ sake. Rory had already taken a bit of a shine to Mary, without really understanding her relationship to them.

“Dean,” she said with a sweet smile, her blue-grey eyes shining. “I wanted to congratulate you.”

Dean smiled shyly, looking back at Cas and Jack again. “Thank you.”

“He’s a beautiful boy. Looks more like you the older he gets. A good mix, I’d say.”

Dean blushed and scuffed the toe of his shoe on the dried grass. “He’s a great baby.” He rubbed his arm nervously, biting his lip and letting it slide back out from between his teeth, then looked up at her, to find her looking past him, at his mate and son. “Mary?”

“Hmm?” she jerked her attention back to him, raising her brows. 

“I was just thinkin’...I dunno. Maybe, if you wanted to…” he shrugged nonchalantly, avoiding eye contact, “you could come by tomorrow and hold him.”

Mary’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open before she quickly snapped it shut. She mirrored her son, rubbing her arm and looking down at their feet. 

“I...yes,” she cleared her throat, blinking quickly to hold back the tears, though it hardly mattered. Dean still wouldn’t meet her gaze, his eyes bouncing around nervously.

“Yes,” she said in a steadier voice. “I would love come by and see him. Thank you.”

Dean’s gaze fixed on her and he nodded and bit his lip again. “Okay, yeah, good. Just...any time after lunch. That way he’ll be fed. We’ll probably do some tummy time...he’s getting a little better at keeping his head up.”

Mary smiled and clasped her hands together. “Not surprising. He’s learning so fast. I bet he’ll start crawling in no time.” She paused and her eyes got a far away look in them. “You started crawling at about 4 months...which is pretty early. I knew you’d be strong, though.”

Dean didn’t know if she was referring necessarily to his physical strength or the kind of strength and resilience that allowed him to survive from pup to adulthood on his own.

“Well, that strength seemed to come in handy,” he muttered, not necessarily meaning to sound rude or sarcastic, but succeeding in it anyway. Perhaps Cas was right...he  _ was _ practically turning into Missouri.

Mary’s face fell a little and Dean felt just the  _ tiniest _ bit guilty, but he didn’t apologize or regret what he’d said. He waited as she recovered, swallowing hard and casting her eyes back down to her feet.

“Dean, I’m sorry, I didn’t want-”

“Another time,” Dean waved his hand dismissively, then lowered his voice. “We can talk about it more another time. Today is a happy occasion.”

Mary pressed her lips together and nodded. Her eyes focused behind him again and she gave a strained smile before meeting his gaze one last time. “I appreciate your offer, Dean. I look forward to seeing you then. In the meantime, I’ll let you get back to your family.” She bowed her head slightly as she stepped away, and Dean turned to see Cas making his way back toward him with a concerned look on his face.

“Omega?” Cas murmured as he came closer, watching Mary retreat into the crowd. 

“It’s fine, Cas,” Dean said with a sigh, allowing Cas to pull him in for a kiss. He looked down at Jack and smiled, wiggling his finger around until the pup grabbed hold. “Was just inviting her over tomorrow...maybe let her hold Jack.”

Cas’s eyebrows shot up, but he only hummed softly in response. The relationship between Dean and Mary was rocky at best and he’d been trying desperately not to make a big deal out of their baby steps.

“Ready to eat?” He asked, leaning forward to nuzzle Dean’s neck and lap at his skin. 

Dean chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Eat what? Me or the food?”

Cas paused. “Why can’t it be both?”

Dean let his head fall back against Cas’s shoulder. “One of those would hardly be appropriate.”

“So...food now, you later.”

“Mmm, gonna hold you to that.”

“Omega, if we weren’t in the middle of a party and I didn’t have our son with me, I’d have already pulled you behind one of these cabins and buried myself inside you.” Cas wrapped his arm around Dean’s waist and slid his hand over his stomach. “It’s too subtle for the others, but I can already  _ smell  _ how badly you want me. You-”

“Papa! Mama!”

Cas pressed his lips together and cleared his throat, tearing his eyes away from Dean to face Rory, his face lighting up when he saw her. Dean shivered and tried desperately to control the slick that was threatening to spill just from Cas’s words, his face flushed. He reached out and gently took Jack from Cas’s arms, cradling him in his own so that Cas could pick up Rory. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, burying her face in his neck. Cas shifted her a little to the side, holding her with one arm so that he could wrap the other around Dean.

“Let’s go get some food, huh? I dunno about you guys, but I’m suddenly dying to get home.”

Dean glanced quickly over at him and immediately back down, blushing.

\----

It was dark and quiet in the cabin, with only the light of the moon streaming through the window and the soft whimpering, grunting, and growling of the two of them moving together. The kids had long since gone to bed, and Cas had spent the last solid hour taking Dean apart with his hands, mouth, and cock. Dean was completely drained after his third orgasm, and so he moved pliantly, bonelessly, whimpering with pleasure each time his Alpha slid into him, that fat knot popping in and out of his rim. 

They’d gotten back home after dark, and thankfully the party had worn the kids out so much that they fell asleep without much fuss. Dean breastfed Jack to sleep while Cas started reading to Rory, and Dean joined the two of them in her bed as soon as he’d put Jack down in his crib. They read with her until she fell asleep, kissed her goodnight, and left the room.

Cas took him the first time just outside her door, with a strong hand on his waist and the other clamped over his mouth. Dean came all over the wall as he heard Cas struggling not to knot him.

Cas moved him to the wall beside the bed, half pressed against a window as he pounded into him the second time, Dean holding tightly to his shoulders and his legs thrown over Cas’s arms, which supported his ass. This was rough too, although Cas kissed him through it, and Dean came all over his belly as he felt Cas filling him.

The third time, Cas pushed him down by the back of his head into presentation and lapped greedily at his stretched and sore rim until Dean came lazily onto the quilt.

“That’s it, sweet baby,” Cas crooned, the two of them laying on their sides in the bed, Dean’s top leg slung back over Cas’s thigh as the Alpha thrust into him. “Gimme one more. One more for me…”

Dean half sobbed into the pillow his face was currently smashed into. “C-can’t...Cas,  _ please _ ,” he whimpered, his cock half hard between his legs as it bobbed with every thrust. 

“Yes, you can,” Cas whispered into his ear, nuzzling down his neck and scraping a fang across the skin. “I won’t even have to touch it. You’ll come on my cock, won’t you, Omega?”

Dean groaned pathetically, practically gasping to breathe, his hips twitching as Cas teased below his balls. “Y-yes,” Dean choked out, squeezing his eyes shut when Cas thrust particularly hard to push his knot past the rim. “Yes, Alpha, I will.” 

“That’s my good boy,” Cas chuckled breathlessly, angling his hips as he pushed back in with a grunt, the knot making a wet  _ pop _ as it breached Dean’s rim. “I’m gonna fill you up, sweet boy. C’mere.”

Cas slid his hand up Dean’s front and to his chin, turning his head back to capture his lips with his own. He pressed deep and circled his hips, his tongue mimicking the motion in his mouth, fingers pressing roughly into his jaw. He kissed him deeply, passionately, desperately, his hand slowly sliding down to hold his throat loosely. Dean kissed him back like he  _ needed  _ to, like everything within him hinged completely on the feel of Cas’s lips on his, his tongue against his own.

Cas finally pulled away, both of them breathless, their panting cutting through the heavy silence of the room. Cas slid his hand down Dean’s front, stopping briefly to circle his nipple, pinching hard and spreading small beads of milk across the hardened nub. Dean gasped and arched, his cock giving a valiant twitch.

“Just imagine it, Dean,” came Cas’s gravely, deep voice from the dark. “Imagine the chase. Imagine me...finally catching you...ripping your clothes off this beautiful body…” he gripped Dean’s hip tightly and thrust up with force, and Dean whimpered. “Stretching you wide with my knot, you wanting me to put pups in you. Will you beg, Dean?”

Dean sobbed and nodded, grabbing Cas’s wrist as he felt his orgasm building, ready to overtake him. 

“Yes...you’ll beg me for a litter. And I’m going to give it to you, Dean. I’m going to fill you so full you won’t be able to hold it all- oh,  _ fuck! _ ” Cas stilled and pressed his face into Dean’s shoulder as his knot swelled to completion and his first orgasm was punched out of him.

Seconds later Dean was, impossibly, coming again. He gasped as it ripped through him, his red and flushed cock kicking as it dribbled out whatever he had left. The sensations were too much, the twitching of his overly sensitive cock almost painful as cum dribbled out sluggishly. Dean closed his eyes, pressing his face into the pillow as darkness wrapped around his mind for several long moments. 

When he next became aware, he first felt the strong arms wrapped around him. Then the soothing tongue on his neck, the gentle hand massaging his sore chest, the knot still pulsing inside him. Dean groaned and shifted, throwing his head back on Cas’s shoulder. His cock was limp, spent and laying across his thigh. The mess he made was a puddle on the sheets, still cooling. 

“Alright, Omega?” Cas whispered into his ear, nipping at the lobe. 

“Y-yeah…” Dean said hoarsely, his voice like sandpaper. He cleared his throat and chuckled weakly. “I think...think I passed out for a minute.”

Dean could practically feel the smug Alpha pride radiating off Cas. 

“Perhaps I pushed too far,” Cas murmured, though he didn’t sound too concerned. Dean felt him smirking into his skin and snorted softly. 

“Don’t get a big head, old man,” Dean muttered. “Omegas aren’t s’pposed to come that much is all. You’re lucky anything came out at all.”

“You’re no ordinary Omega,” Cas shrugged, kissing down Dean’s shoulder and splaying a hand over his belly. “I knew you could give me one more. My sweet Omega knows how to please his Alpha.”

Dean was too worn out to blush, but he ducked his head shyly and mumbled something incoherent in the pillow. Cas chuckled and they fell into a comfortable silence that was occasionally interrupted by a grunt when the knot pulled at Dean’s rim. 

“You did well today,” Cas murmured after several long moments. “I know events like that make you nervous, but there’s no reason for you to be anxious. You’re a natural.”

Dean scoffed and gave Cas a disbelieving look. “A natural? Cas, I can barely get through a normal conversation with Benny, let alone the rest of the pack.”

“Well, you sure could've fooled me today. You seemed at ease, considering. And the way you are with Hannah particularly… Dean, just when I think you can't surprise me anymore, you do.” 

Dean settled comfortably, adjusting his pillow under his head. “Why would I act any differently toward her? What happened between the two of you was no one's fault… least of all hers. I was concerned that the experience would make her wary of you, of pack living...I was afraid it would make her like me… like how I used to be. I didn't want that for her. No one deserves that.”

Cas was silent again for awhile, gently ghosting fingers down Dean's side. “You set a beautiful example, Omega.”

Dean shrugged. “Didn't do much. She adjusted better than I ever did.”

“Don't make me spank you.”

“I might like it.”

Cas chuckled and kissed his neck. “Naughty, insatiable Omega. What am I going to do with you?”

Dean pretended to think. “I’m afraid there’s no cure,” he sighed sadly. “You’ll just have to keep fucking me.”

“Oh dear,” Cas murmured, a smile playing on his lips as he pressed kisses to the back of Dean’s neck. “How utterly terrible. To think I could have spent my days  _ not _ fucking you.”

“I know,” Dean patted his hand soothingly, “but that’s life.”

“I suppose it is,” Cas chuckled, tightening his arms around Dean to pull him impossibly closer. “I could get used to this, though, I guess.”

Dean snorted and turned his head, giving Cas a mock glare. “You better still to be joking, Alpha.”

“Of course,” Cas smiled, capturing his lips in a brief kiss. “I truly cannot think of a better way to spend my life than with you.”

“Alright, alright,” Dean flushed and turned away to hide his red cheeks. “Enough of your honey words.”

“Mmm...honey,” Cas rumbled, licking at Dean’s skin yet again. “You would taste good covered in honey.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

There was a long pause and Cas smirked. “You’re thinking about it now.”

“Shut up, Cas.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached the end! Here is our final chapter, and we both thank you so much for supporting us! Thank you to those of you who gave us kudos and recommended us to friends, took the time to comment, and wished us well. We rely on support from you guys- it's what keeps us going!
> 
> There is an epilogue for this story that will include The Chase (yay!) but it will include a bestiality tag, and we didn't want to tag the entire story with it for the one chapter when it could be read as standalone. Look for that to post within the next week- I'll be posting it as a part in this series.
> 
> Before you ask, yes, we do plan on putting out more in this series. I can't speak as to whether they will be full length stories like these, but we already have a Rory POV time stamp planned and I've spoken with the creator of Ysabella's character about working on a prequel.
> 
> None of this would have happened without you guys! Thank you for believing in us, supporting us, and at times, being angry with us! This series was a labor of love with you all at the very center. We hope to see you all in the comment section of our other works, and rest assured we have plenty more coming to you soon!

“Dean…”

The Omega didn’t hear- or perhaps chose to ignore- his Alpha’s voice as he bustled around their tiny kitchen. He’d never realized how  _ small _ it was and there was simply not enough space to get everything done. 

“Dean.”

Dean shook his head, muttering to himself. The small ham they managed to procure was ready to be baked, the pie was about ready for baking, but he still had to get the vegetables prepared, and he hadn’t even started on the bread yet.

Strong, firm, slightly demanding arms pulled him out of the kitchen and forced him into the futon, hands on his shoulders keeping him seated. 

“Cas, I don’t have time to-”

“You will take a break,” Cas said firmly, Alpha voice creeping into his tone. “You’ve been at it since before dawn. Eileen is bringing some food, as well as Mary. You don’t have to do it all.”

“But-”

“I would very much appreciate if you would obey me in this,” Cas murmured, cupping Dean’s jaw gently. “If not for yourself, then for me. You’re going to give an old man a stress-induced heart attack.”

Dean sat back with a huff, but finally quirked a smile. “Well that would be a shame.”

“Indeed.” Cas smiled and leaned down, kissing his forehead. “Relax. You’ve got two sleeping pups at the same time, which  _ never  _ happens, and an Alpha who can more than handle whatever you have left. Just relax, please.”

Dean sighed, reluctantly pulling his legs up on the futon and laying back as Cas went to busy himself in the kitchen. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “Whose idea was this, anyway?”

“I think if we’re being technical, it was your brother’s,” Cas said in a somewhat accusatory tone. “But you seemed rather taken with the idea, if I recall correctly.”

Dean scoffed. “What do you know? You can’t remember that far back.”

Cas dropped a bundle of vegetables on the counter and turned to him, hand on his hip. “Well, now. I’ll remember  _ that _ .” He chewed his lip, then turned back to rinse the vegetables. “Did you ever go see Missouri?”

“Yes, Cas,” Dean said, annoyed. “It was a false alarm. No babies for us again yet.”

He could practically feel the relief in the air, although Cas didn’t say anything, or even make so much as a noise. Dean turned his head to peek out from under his hand, but Cas’s face gave nothing away.

“Thought you’d be disappointed.”

Cas shrugged. “I guess I’m just not ready again... _ just  _ yet.”

Dean smirked. “For all that shit-talking you do-”

“Well, I  _ do  _ want more kids with you, for one,” Cas said easily, “and two-” he turned to Dean, an eyebrow raised, “-does it make you come?”

Dean opened his mouth to speak and promptly closed it again, frowning and turning back around to plop back down on the futon with another huff, crossing his arms over his chest. 

He spent the rest of his  _ break _ thoroughly ignoring the smugness coming from the kitchen until Jack began to fuss softly in his crib. Dean got up and fetched him before he could  _ really _ start wailing. He shushed him gently, cradling him in his arms and lifting his shirt. The pup fussed a bit more before he finally latched on, quieting to a gentle suckling.  

“He doesn’t latch on as quickly,” Dean murmured, frowning in concern. 

“That’s normal,” Cas said as he bent over the stove. “He’ll lose interest in the milk all together in a few months.”

Dean chewed on his lip and sighed. He supposed it had to happen eventually, but it felt too soon. He loved having these moments with his pup, proud his tattered body could bring the pup nourishment. Though he wouldn’t mind his chest going back to normal. Having breasts was a bit of a hassle and he had no idea how females dealt with them all the time. 

He sniffed, trying to avoid the tears that welled in his eyes, not quite enough to spill. Cas looked over at him with concern, pausing as he cut up the vegetables. “Dean?”

“‘M fine.”

He heard the knife clatter as Cas sat it down and the floor creaking as he walked over, then strong hands on the sides of his face. Cas knelt down to his level, brushing his thumbs over his cheeks.

“What’s wrong?”

Dean shrugged and shook his head. “It’s stupid. Soon he won’t be breastfeeding anymore, then he’ll be walking, then he’ll be wanting to spend more time with his friends than with me, and...just...not ready for him to grow up yet.”

“Oh, Dean,” Cas said softly, pulling him in to let him scent as his neck as he rubbed the back of his head. “You’ll always be his mom. He’s always going to have a special bond with you. You’re going to get to watch him grow, right in front of your eyes. And take it from someone who’s done it, who was in the same exact position as you six years ago...that’s pretty incredible, too.”

He pulled back and Dean forced a weak smile. A faint knock on the door drew him out of his thoughts, and thankfully pushed the sadness to the back of his mind because all he could think about was how  _ nothing was ready yet- _

“I’ve got it,” Cas assured him, and Dean knew it was more about the status of the food than getting the door.

“Is it uncle Sam?!” 

Rory bounded out of her bedroom and skipped to the door, yanking it open before Cas could make it to there.

“Heya, kiddo!” Sam swung her into his arms and held the door open for Eileen to walk through with Maura. Cas greeted them with a handshake for Sam and a hug and forehead kiss for Eileen, and he went back to the kitchen before Dean had the chance to complain.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing that thick head of hair,” Dean commented with a grin.

“Seems like she’s growing more each day,” Eileen laughed, smiling down at Maura.

“Oh, I was talking about Sam,” Dean deadpanned, then chuckled when Sam shot him a look.

“Speaking of pups,” Sam said loudly, self consciously running a hand through his hair. “How’s little Jack doing?” He smiled and sat beside Dean, balancing Rory on his knee, seemingly unfazed by the sight of his brother breastfeeding. Dean supposed be was used to seeing it with Eileen.

“He’s good,” Dean murmured, glancing down at the content pup. “We think he’s, uh, growing out of the milk...or starting to.” 

Sam nodded, smiling when Eileen joined them on the futon after snagging a sample of Dean’s pie filling, Cas pretending not to notice. 

“Same with Maura,” Sam nodded to his daughter, grin widening. “She’s getting curious about solid foods. Missouri says it’s okay to give them a little, but the nutritional value of solid food is still pretty low for them. But it’s good to get them acquainted to it.” 

Dean nodded and hummed. “Well, that’s good to know.”

“Hard, though, isn’t it?” Eileen smiled knowingly. “They grow up so fast. Feeding them is so special. It’s going to be hard to give up.” 

Dean sighed and nodded, glad to know that at least Eileen understood what he was feeling. 

“Until the next one anyway,” Sam grinned and winked, and Dean blushed deeply. 

“Sam,” Eileen slapped him lightly on the arm. “That is hardly appropriate talk for company.” 

“I’d love more brothers and sisters,” Rory exclaimed proudly, and Sam raised an eyebrow at her.

“Oh, you would, huh?”

“Yeah. I like bein’ a big sister.”

Dean pointedly kept his attention down on Jack, and Sam nudged him with his shoulder. “So you guys are tryin’ again too, huh?”

“ _ No _ ,” came Cas’s voice from the kitchen. “We-”

“Not  _ yet _ ,” Dean said firmly, shooting him a lukewarm glare. “We’re not ready quite yet. But in time, yes. Probably within the next year.”

Cas practically choked on his inhale, but Sam and Eileen didn’t seem to notice. Dean smirked inwardly and wondered how exciting it would be the next time, when he was able to tell Cas they were pregnant again and not break down into an anxiety- ridden mess. 

“So soon,” Eileen chuckled, bouncing Maura gently as the little pup curiously reached for the other baby. Jack blinked at her, but was too busy with his feeding to give her much attention. “I guess that’s not surprising, though. Alphas are always ready to make more pups.”

“We’re not that bad,” Sam pouted, letting Maura grab his finger. 

“Yes, you are,” Eileen and Dean spoke at once, both grinning widely. 

“Wanna help me out here, Cas?” Sam glanced over his shoulder, but the other Alpha shook his head. 

“I’m staying out of that one,” Cas snorted as he chopped up some of the veggies. 

Dean bit his lip. “Cas, maybe we should put the ham in-”

“I've got it, Dean,” Cas waved his hand at him. “Relax, please.”

Dean huffed, not missing the amused look from the other couple. “He kicked me out of my own kitchen,” he grumbled, casting his Alpha a withering glare. 

“For good reason,” Cas shot back, dumping the vegetables into the pot and placing it over the fire. He then wiped his hands on a dishcloth and walked over, bending to kiss Dean on the head. “I put the ham in a while ago, Omega. No need to worry. You know, I  _ did _ cook before you came along.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean mumbled. Jack pulled away to reach for Cas, so Dean passed him over as he pulled his shirt down, leaning back against the futon with a sigh. Rory hopped down from Sam’s lap and settled in beside Dean, laying her head against his chest.

“Thank you again for inviting us,” Eileen smiled  up at Cas, but the Alpha shrugged as he lowered himself onto his favorite pillow. 

“I think it was more Dean’s idea than mine,” Cas chuckled when his mate huffed. “Sam very casually mentioned doing a sort of family get together, since he now has a brother, and Dean just  _ jumped  _ on it-”

“That’s enough outta you,” Dean growled, throwing one of Jack’s burping cloths at Cas’s head. 

“W-well, it was a group effort,” Sam said hastily, glancing at his brother’s embarrassed blush. “We just thought since things have settled and our family is finally together, we should have a little celebration.”

“And...Mary?” Cas raised a brow, glancing at Dean.

Dean shrugged and attempted to run a hand through Rory’s tangled hair. “Invited her. Should be here soon.”

Cas hummed and laid the cloth over his shoulder, adjusting Jack so he could gently pat his back. 

“So,” Sam said after a tense silence, looking at Dean warily. “How...are things with mom, anyway?”

Dean shrugged again, laying his hand on Rory’s head. Mary had come over and held Jack for the first time just weeks earlier, and things were...okay. Much better than he expected them to be. But they were still awkward, and he still wasn’t sure what kind of role he wanted her to play in his life. He didn’t necessarily want to keep her away from all of them completely, especially because he felt it was important for Jack and Rory to have a figure like her in their lives. She’d never done anything untoward to them, and they didn’t know about Dean’s past. 

“She held Jack for the first time recently,” Dean mumbled, looking up at Cas, then over to Sam. “He seemed to like her. But then, he seems to like everybody, really.”

“Mom’s really good with Maura,” Sam said evenly, and Eileen gave Dean and understanding look when his mouth momentarily quirked in the corner, evidence of his stifled scoff. Dean was trying very hard to get to a good point with Mary, but forgiveness was coming along about how well he’d expected it to. Cas had faith that he would get there eventually, although he never pushed too hard for it. He said that it would likely come naturally, when the time was right, since it was all part of the healing process. Psychological scars, it turned out, were much more detrimental than physical ones.

“It...helps me, knowing that what she did to me, the one thing I can’t get over, is not something she could ever do to them,” Dean said slowly, and Sam, thankfully, nodded solemnly. “No matter what, even if she wanted to, she couldn’t abandon Jack like that, because he’s  _ mine.  _ Ours. And Rory, too.” He added, smiling down at her. “It makes me feel like I have the control over how the relationship with her goes. That helps.”

“I like grandma,” Rory said offhandedly, tugging at her shirt, coaxing a laugh out of the adults.

“I know you do, baby,” Dean said, kissing the top of her head.

Sam hesitated for a moment then, speaking softly, said: “Dean...you reaching out means a lot to her, but...it also means a lot to me . For a long time, I always felt it was just me and mom, you know? John wasn’t a dad, he was just  _ Alpha _ . I always felt like our family was incomplete. But now we’ve found you, and our mates and pups, and it feels like a real family for the first time.” He sighed and clasped his hands together in his lap. “I’ll never ask you to forgive her and she won’t either.  _ I _ just ask...for some understanding. From brother to brother.”

Dean looked down at his lap, feeling his Alpha’s eyes on him, and sighed softly. 

“I can try, Sam,” he finally said with a shrug. “Well, I  _ am  _ trying. That’s all I can promise.”

“Which is more than enough,” Eileen said firmly, giving Sam’s thigh a squeeze. “Now, let’s turn this mood around. This is supposed to be a celebration.”

“Agreed,” Cas nodded, then quirked a smile. “Doesn’t it smell amazing in here? Dean’s been up all morning preparing a delicious meal for us.”

“Not that good,” Dean mumbled, ducking his head to hide the blush that everyone could see anyway. 

“Nonsense,” Cas reached out with his free hand, squeezing Dean’s knee. “You worked hard and it’s going to taste amazing.”

“Absolutely,” Sam piped in, ever eager to brag on his big brother. “We haven’t eaten like this since the induction.”

“A lovely tradition,” Eileen nodded. “I hope our new members will take part in it with their own new pups.”

“A lot of them are due soon,” Sam nodded, frowning thoughtfully. “We should really check on our supplies in the medic cabin, make sure we’re-”

“No Alpha talk,” Eileen swatted his leg. “You and Cas are taking a break for the day.”

Cas cut his eyes over at Sam and smiled, but that line of conversation stopped there. They shared in polite conversation, playing with the pups and discussing their eating and sleeping habits, vague plans for the future, the miracle of their families coming together the way they had. Dean had almost forgotten about Mary's invite until she came in about a half hour later, and things were only briefly awkward before she fell into easy conversation with them. 

They ate an hour or so later, while Jack and Maura had tummy time, which Mary offered to oversee while Dean and Eileen ate, knowing they'd have to feed the pups again afterward. Dean caught himself watching her several times throughout dinner, smiling and playing with them like they were the most fascinating little humans she'd ever met. Rory joined them after she ate and Mary was the same with her, too, seeming legitimately interested in her books and drawings and beaming when Rory insisted she take a few of them home with her. Dean appreciated that Mary already loved them the way a grandmother should, even having barely spent any time with them. That didn't seem to matter to her as she laid on her stomach on the cool hardwood and made faces at them, letting them grab her fingers and even pull on her hair at times. She talked and cooed at them the whole time, and Jack seemed equally taken with her. 

Everyone stayed for a few hours after dinner, long after the sun went down, just talking and laughing and enjoying the family time together. Mary finally announced her departure and hugged Rory goodbye, then handed Jack back over to Dean, who politely walked her to the door.

“Thank you very much for allowing me to come, Dean,” she said, giving him a warm smile. She looked down at Jack and reached out to him, letting him grab her thumb. “Being able to see them...to see you...it means more to me than you’ll ever know. I know I have a lot of work to do, to help you to trust me, to get to good terms. But I want you to know, I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

Dean pressed his lips together and forced a strained smile, clutching Jack a little tighter. “I know. I, uh, appreciate that.” He opened his mouth, the word ‘mom’ about to come out, but he stopped and clicked his jaw shut. It didn’t feel right. Not yet. She was making an effort and he could see that, but she hadn’t earned that title from him. Given time, though...maybe.

Mary returned the smile and nodded, stepping back and turning before making her way down the hill. Sam and Eileen said their goodbyes as well, and it wasn’t long before Dean was sinking into the bed to give Jack his last feeding of the night.

“I think that went pretty well,” Cas said from the kitchen as he began to clean up, which Dean only felt a little bad about, but he  _ did  _ get up before the sun to prepare all the food. Rory laid on her stomach in front of the fire and colored in one of her drawings, pushing some of her wild hair out of her face.

“Guess so,” Dean shrugged, watching Jack suckle, one of his tiny fists waving around in the air. “Nice to have everyone together...for a little while, anyway” He furrowed his brows. “Not sure I’d want to do that every week…”

Cas snorted a laugh. “That’s family in a nutshell, I think. Nice...every once and awhile.”

Dean smiled a little and leaned back on the headboard. “I think I just have a lower tolerance for social...stuff.”

“Oh?” Cas looked over his shoulder. “I never would have guessed.”

“Ha ha.”

Cas chuckled as he started washing up the dishes. They all fell into a comfortable silence, only the sounds of Jack’s quiet suckling and the crackling of the fire, and the occasional splashing of water from the sink. 

“Okay, daughter,” Cas proclaimed as he finished with the dishes and dried his hands with a towel. He threw it over his shoulder and put his hands on his hips, looking over at Rory. “Time for bed. C’mon.” He held his hand out as he walked over to her, and she only groaned a little before packing up her supplies and letting him help her to her feet. She kissed Dean and Jack goodnight and allowed Cas to usher her into her room.

He returned not twenty minutes later, tossing the towel onto the counter and stripping off his shirt as he walked to bed.  

“Knocked out,” he murmured as he crawled into bed and kissed Dean on his forehead. “I don’t think we even got through five whole pages of  _ White Fang.” _

“ _ White Fang?” _

“Yeah.” Cas chuckled as he pulled the comforter over his legs. “The, uh, protagonist is a domesticated wolf. Rory picked it.” He shrugged. “I tried to tell her it’d be dreadfully boring for her, you know, at this age, but-”

“When she sets her mind to something…”

“Mmm.”

Dean side glanced at Cas, a smile tugging at his lips as the Alpha fussed with his pillows and grumbled under his breath. 

“One might say you’re a domesticated wolf,” Dean said teasingly, smile widening when Cas paused and frowned down at himself. 

“Ah...yes,” he mumbled. “I suppose I am bit on the tamer side.”

Dean blinked and raised a brow. “Does that bother you?”

“I...don’t know,” Cas admitted with a shrug. “I would say...no, most of the time that wouldn’t upset me too much.”

“But…?”

“But,” Cas sighed and laid down, pulling the blanket up to his chest. “I guess there is a small part of me that might resent my... _ domestication _ , as it were. A little, anyway.”

“Does that ever...get to you?” Dean asked, genuinely curious. They don’t talk about Cas’s wolf side much and he could admit he was growing more and more curious about the small details of a shifter’s life. “I mean, do you get tired of the, uh, human skin sometimes?”

Cas frowned thoughtfully then shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t put it like that. More like…” he paused, licking his lips. “Needing to stretch after sitting for so long. Working a muscle that has gone unused for a while. That’s why I go for my nightly runs every once and awhile. Spreading my wings, so to speak.”

“That must be...freeing.”

“It is.” Cas turned to his side, reaching up to rest his hand gently on Jack’s head. “And it allows me to just be this when I’m with you guys. No distractions, no...instincts. Just me.”

“But still Alpha.”

Cas smiled, his hand falling to Dean’s thigh. “Yes. Always Alpha.”

Dean smiled too, looking down at Jack, whose eyes are closed, suckling ceased, his breathing evening out. He slid slowly out of bed and laid their pup in his crib, tucking the blanket in around him, and climbed back into bed, laying down facing Cas.

“You’ve come a long way with Mary, Dean,” Cas said softly, brushing his thumb over Dean’s cheek. “It says a lot about you, how you’re able to separate what she did to you for what she can be doing for our children. It shows great strength and growth. I’m proud of you.”

“Yeah, well.” Dean cleared his throat. “They shouldn’t have to suffer because of my grudge. I’m trying to work through it for them.” He looked up at Cas, shaking his head slightly. “Not for her.”

“And for you.”

Dean frowned. 

“You need to move past it too, Dean. And I don’t mean to forget it. Never forget it. But…” Cas frowned, running his tongue absently along his bottom lip, “you’re holding onto it. You’re holding onto this...anger, and this pain, and it’s hurting you. And it doesn’t have to be anymore. I think...working through this for them, will inadvertently help you work through your own issues. And you deserve that, Omega. You deserve to just be...free.”

“I…” Dean looked down at the sheets and swallowed. “I don’t even know  _ how _ to let go. I want to, because I’m tired of thinking about it...but it’s just always…”

“I know,” Cas sighed sadly, gazing at Dean through the darkness with those tired eyes. “It’s one of the cruel ironies of this world, how happiness can be taken away in an instant and yet pain remains for years.” He moved closer to Dean, pulling his Omega towards him and scenting at his neck. “I’m not saying it will happen overnight, but you’ve already come so far with everything else. You’re on the path to healing, to piecing all those broken pieces back together.”

“It’s only because I have you,” Dean said softly.

“Dean-”

“No, listen,” Dean huffed. “I know you wanna give me all the credit, and...yeah, I got here with my strength. I get that. But do you really think I would have even  _ cared _ enough to get this far without you?”

Cas blinked and frowned at him, biting his lip.

“Cas, I…” Dean rubbed at his face and sighed. “I was ready to die when I came here. Hell, I think I may have  _ come _ here to die, just to have a nicer place to spend my last days in. I didn’t care if my heats killed me, of if you even turned out to be an Omega-hoarding Alpha who only offered protection in exchange for knotting. I didn’t care what happened to me.” Dean looked Cas in the eye, as difficult as it was to hold that intense gaze. “ _ You _ make me care. You make me  _ want _ to get stronger, and go farther. I would’ve wasted away without you. So enough of this ‘it wasn’t me’ crap.”

Cas pressed his lips together, looking like he wanted to argue, but he refrained. Instead he reached up to pull Dean in for a kiss, letting their foreheads rest together afterward, stroking his jaw. Dean closed his eyes and sighed, laying his hand on Cas’s.

“You are exceptional, Omega,” Cas finally said softly. “And I don’t say this nearly as often as I should, but I am the luckiest Alpha to have been able to mate with you. Our children are the luckiest to have you for a mother.”

“Well. We’re lucky too,” Dean muttered, meeting his eyes again. 

Cas smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners, the tiniest hint of glowing blue shining through them. “Get some sleep, Omega. I want a full day with all of you tomorrow.”

Dean raised a brow. “No Alpha business?”

“No Alpha business.”

\----

_ 6 months later _

 

“You’re sure about this.”

Dean shoved his hands in his pockets, scuffing his toe against the earth and looking up between the tall trees, at the moon peeking through the leaves. Cas leans up against one of the trees with his arms crossed over his chest, chewing his lip.

“It’s never too late to back out-”

“I’m sure.” Dean pulled at the cord holding the bullet around his neck, sliding the bullet from side to side. He nodded definitively and tucked it into his shirt, laying a hand over it, pressing it to his chest. “Been waiting a long time for this, Cas.”

“And you fully understand the risks.”

Dean locked eyes with him and a moment passed between them, heavy and electric, full on pent up energy that’s been clawing to get out for months. Full of meaning, severity, with an undercurrent of lust that seeped into the air. 

Thing is, Dean didn’t see any of it as risks. This was opportunity, a beginning, stepping into something that he felt in his gut he was meant to do, to be. He wasn’t the least bit scared, or hesitant. His blood pumped furiously in his veins, his skin itched, and his muscles were tense. Ready to move,  _ run. _ He finally had his body back; his chest was flat, his stomach free of pregnancy fat, and most importantly his mind was clear and focused. He knew what he wanted, needed, and he knew Cas needed it just as much. 

“I understand,” Dean said softly and strolled up to his Alpha, confident and sure, and licked his way between his lips. Cas grabbed his waist, pulling him in, a growl building in his chest, ready to throw his Omega down and claim him right there.

Dean pulled away, ignoring the snarl, the outstretched claws, and walked backwards. He glanced up at the moon, full and bright, the only thing he would have to light his way. He looked back at Cas and for just a second- so quick Cas almost missed it- those green eyes glowed under the light. 

“Come and get me, Alpha.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! We love you! (also please come talk to us on Tumblr! Sydney: holytrenchcoatedsubtextchuck and Lauren: deanmon69)
> 
> For any artists out there- if you feel moved to create some art for this series, please do so! You don't have to ask. We would be THRILLED to see, and all we ask is to tag us in your finished work so we can admire and share it! Thanks again! <3


End file.
